Treachery From Within
by Puffy Tribulation
Summary: Albert Simon is after Alice, but Yuri foils his every attempts. It's time to change his tactics. The plan is really simple, if they can turn Yuri against her, Alice would be left defenseless... (Yuri x Alice)UPDATE: COMPLETE.
1. Default Chapter

A story based on the first Shadow Hearts game. A Yuri x Alice centered story specially manufactured by Puffy.

Disclaimer: At the risk of betraying my love for Yuri and Alice, I hereby disown them. From this day forth, Aruze, Midway and whatever shall call them their own. The rest of the characters belong to them anyway!

Dedicated to all who love, betrayed by love and still loves again.

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**(O)  
****(O(o)O)**

**Treachery From Within.**

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**(O) **Prologue** (O)**

_1914, London, England._

From the balcony of her hotel room, Margarete Gertrude Zelle stood smoking a cigarette. Her keen eyes missed nothing, from the daily morning activities of the people below, to the cooing of doves at a neighbor's window, to the sounds of children at play in the streets.

Behind her, a blond man was still asleep in the bed, covered in warm blankets. Margarete sighed deeply. Physically she was satiated, she couldn't ask for a more wonderful lover than Keith Valentine, considerate, tender and very much a gentleman. But something's missing.

Margarete lit another stick, inhaling the smoke deeply. She wondered at the source of this discontentment. She had always preferred relationships that are purely physical, no emotional involvement.

She is simply just another woman, a woman who has needs too. Deep in her heart, Margarete longed to have someone she can call her own, but the path she had chosen made it impossible for her to trust anyone completely. To further her career, Margarete has done it all, even to the point of becoming a mistress to the highest officials, just so she could extract information for her job as a spy.

And though, she tried to tell herself there's no shame in it, Margarete knew that she's missing something out by being like this. Her attention focused back on Keith, the handsome vampire, remembered the first day they have met in Rouen, France. She knew that it was only natural that she would be drawn to him, for Keith was very much a man, a very handsome man at that. She had sensed that Keith wanted her too; she also knows that the only reason why he kept himself from a distance at first was because he considered her a comrade, a friend, someone to be respected and not treated like a sex object.

But there is no reason for them to hold back, Margarete had decided. They are both mature adults who know what they want in life. And right now, what she wanted is this intimacy that has no strings attached, a relationship that is purely physical, one that does not threaten her emotional stability.

Alice might not understand, Margarete thought fondly, the young girl is full of powder romance to understand the various shades of gray in the world, but deep inside, Margarete knew that had she been the one in Alice's shoes, she would never trade her innocence for all the gold in the world.

So it happened. She and Keith became lovers, lovers in the sense that they share a bed, their bodies but not their hearts. It was a mutually satisfying relationship for both of them, because none wanted the emotional ties, the absolute self surrender, that love demands.

But they kept it a secret, they didn't want to be the one to disillusion the younger generation. Alice would be surely devastated when she finally realizes that there are women out there who could casually share their bodies with a man and then walk away, never look back as if nothing happened. Margarete knew that for someone like Alice, it would be horrendous, a woman like Alice would only give herself to the man she loves and could never understand how some women do it without the sanctity of love. And despite her own shortcomings, Margarete didn't want the younger woman to know about her 'misadventures', it's best that Alice knew little of her, this way it would be easier for both of them to say 'goodbye' when the time comes.

_Well_, Margarete thought as she snuffed her cigarette._ It would be nice to be that innocent again, naïve and full of dreams. Lucky for Alice, she got a man who really cares for her, someone to protect her girlish dreams and fantasies, someone who cherish her to the point of oblivion, a man who would make sure that those dreams come true. _Sadly, the same couldn't be said of Margarete Gertrude Zelle, she had seen too much, known too much, done too much, to be that trusting girl again.

(O(o)O)

_At a house near London, England._

"That boy is becoming a great nuisance!" Albert Simon fumed, throwing his gloves irritably down the table.

An old woman dressed in black poured tea in a porcelain cup. Silently she kept on formulating her plan, checked out for flaws and thought of alternative ways to implement it. She had thought about it for a long, long time ever since she had encountered them on Prague.

"I must have the Elliot girl if I'm to proceed with my plan!" Albert said accepting the cup of tea from the old woman.

"Sir Albert, I have been thinking about this plan of mine." She said as she sat down across the warlock.

"What do you have in mind Olga?" Albert asked, sipping his tea.

"As long as that Harmonixer kid protects the Elliot girl, there's nothing we can do. He has proven to be stronger each battle than the one before. The only way for us to gain custody of the girl would be to either kill him or…" Olga paused.

"Or?" Albert prodded.

"He stops protecting her." Olga said. Her wrinkled eyes suddenly glinted with pure malice.

"Go on." Albert said, more interested to listen now.

"The Hyuga kid is strangely devoted to Alice, it seems he would stop at nothing, would do just anything to keep her safe." Olga babbled on.

Albert was beginning to feel impatient. "And your point is?"

"A man who acts like that could only mean that he is very much emotionally involved—"

"Yes, yes it's obvious even to the lowliest imbecile that he loves her. What are you trying to say Olga?" Albert said impatiently, he already knows the boy's devotion to the Elliot girl, he wanted ways to capture her, not listen to this recitation of Hyuga's strange obsession with Alice.

"A man like that would be easy to manipulate, it would be easy to turn his emotions against him." Olga said, biting a biscuit with her canine, the only tooth left in her gums.

"Damn it all woman! Do I have to pull it out from you word for word?! Get on with it!" Albert finally exploded.

Olga flinched a little, but then, she's used to Albert's sudden excessive show of anger.

"If we could turn this Hyuga kid against Elliot, she would be left defenseless." Olga began.

"And how do you propose to do that? You yourself have said, his commitment to Alice is phenomenal!" Albert looked at the old woman as though she had lost her wits.

"If we could make the girl fall for another man, we could destroy his faith and devotion by using his own emotions against her. A man betrayed by someone he loves would be just as destructive, and he would hate her with the same passion that he had loved her." Olga finished.

Albert nodded once, contemplating what the old hag said. The plan just might work.

"And how will you do that?" He asked Olga.

The old woman just smiled evilly. "I have my own resources."


	2. The Encampment

**(O)(I)(O)**Chapter One**(O)(I)(O)

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_In a wild field, some distance away from London, England. A few days earlier._

Yuri stood with his back on her. He looked ridiculous with the feminine clothes hanging at his left shoulder, and a drying cloth in the other. At his feet, neatly folded, were the clothes Alice had worn previously. With more than a mild interest, he stared at her undergarment fashioned from pink silk and white trimmed lace he was holding with both hands. The owner would bash his head off with her book if she knew he was studying her intimate apparel.

"Alice aren't you done yet?" He asked the girl behind him who stood hip deep in the creek. Carefully, Yuri hid her underwear back beneath her clothes.

"No-noot…yeyett."Her voiceshivered from the cold. With shaky hands she sluiced more freezing water on her body, rinsing the soap suds, trying to cleanse herself as fast as she could.

"Hey Alice won't you get sick or something? I told you we should wait until we get to London!" Yuri said worriedly, the things she'd do for the sake of cleanliness! How could she possibly think of such things at a time like this! But knowing just how stubborn she can be when she set her mind on to something, Yuri agreed to stand guard over her and ensure that no one stumbles in on her privacy.

Her bath completed, Alice wadded back, shivering, her teeth chattering from cold. Naked, she stood behind Yuri's back, and took the drying cloth she had draped on his shoulder.

With a sigh that sounded more like a fluttering hiss, Alice began to dry herself, she was half afraid that Yuri would turn his head and see her nakedness in broad daylight. It's not that she'd scream or faint if he saw her nude body, it's just that she doesn't feel very desirable right now with goose bumps all over her skin and her lips were probably blue from cold. But he had given his word not to even peek.

Not that he wasn't tempted to do just that, Yuri thought devilishly, he had wanted to steal a peek at her, just to satisfy a certain curiosity about her body, but he stopped himself, told himself that the time for that would come, when she would not deny him the privileges of her body, and until that time comes, he would act the gentleman, even if it costs him his own life!

Just then, the little puppy she had picked up from somewhere barked behind his back.

"Whh-whattt iiis itt Ti-titinny?" Alice said through chattering teeth. The dog called Tiny, wagged its tail and sat beside Yuri's feet. Alice knew that it felt ridiculous that she would be embarrassed to be naked before a dog, but Tiny seems to be looking at her in a way that would be unbearably rude had the puppy been a human.

_Lucky son-of-a-bitch! _Yuri thought of Tiny, why even the dog get to see her naked! Yuri thought he should feel insulted! Why Alice allowed a mutt to see her naked body, while he, her man, stood with his back to her, banned from the same privilege!

He was about to voice his complaint when Alice took her clothes from his shoulders. The scent of roses wafted to his nose, pleasing him. Now he knew why she always smelled so good.

Hurriedly, Alice put on her clothes, sighing again in relief as she felt warmer now, but still her body trembled, her skin rough with goose bumps. It had been difficult to button her dress with her shaky hands.

"Aalll do-donnee." She said still shivering. Yuri turned to her, saw her pale complexion and blue lips and almost swore out words fit to burn the rocks beneath their feet.

But holding back each single word, he unbuttoned his coat, and pulled her closer to his body. Alice automatically wrapped her arms around him, seeking his warmth as Yuri drew his coat around both of them. He could feel her shaky smile against his chest, and wondered again how she could even smile when she's half frozen to death because of her silly obsession with hygiene.

"I swear this is the last time I'll ever let you do this stupid thing!" He said gruffly, rubbing her arms, her back to warm her. Alice only smiled up at him, she loved being cocooned in his coat with him like this. Yuri bent his head to kiss her cold lips, lightly kissing her, warming them until the color returned.

They stood there until the shivering stopped, but still, Alice didn't let go of him, enjoying his warmth for as long as possible.

"Why do you complain?" She asked against his chest. "Even you go for skinny-dipping every chance you get."

"That's different!" Yuri protested. "I'm covered up to the head with monsters' blood. I had to endure those stupid baths; unless of course, you won't mind kissing a blood-crusted man?" He added with a devilish gleam in his eyes. Alice wrinkled her nose but said nothing.

"Hate to burst your bubble kids, but Master Zhuzhen is getting impatient to move on." Margarete suddenly interrupted on their cozy little world.

With a sigh, Alice stepped back from Yuri. Though she was clothed with warm clothes, she shivered from the loss of his body heat. Yuri looked the same way. Through the silent eye communication, Alice conveyed her love for him.

He was tempted to kiss her again, but with Margarete standing not three feet away, it was not possible.

"Tell the old goat to wait for a few more minutes, Alice still has to brush her hair." Yuri said.

Alice was about to protest that she didn't mind moving on with unkempt hair, the only thing that bothered her was her unwashed body. But Yuri squeezed her hand, silently telling her not to disagree with him.

Margarete shrugged. "Very well, just don't take too long, Master Zhuzen said the cold is creeping up to his weary bones…" with that Margarete left the two.

"Yuri…" Alice said, worried for the old man.

"Don't worry baby, the Old Goat is tougher than a buffalo raw hide. He wouldn't live this long otherwise. A little cold won't harm the old geezer, trust me. Besides it's already late to go, it would be dark soon, we might as well stay here for the night."

In truth, Zhuzhen was content to sit there before the fire at the camp, sipping his herbal tea. It was Margarete who's impatient to get to London.

Yuri led Alice to the rock where he had placed their bags. He indicated for her to sit on it while he dug for her hairbrush. Silently, Alice unwound her braid. She sighed in pleasure and closed her eyes as Yuri massaged her scalp with his fingertips. Then he gently began to comb her hair, starting at the ends.

The first time he offered to brush her hair, startled Alice. She didn't expect him to do such a thing. The simple pleasure he takes in combing her hair was a mystery to her until Yuri confided one afternoon.

"I used to brush my mother's hair when I was small. I remember how soft and cool it feels against my fingers. Her hair has the color of flames- red, russet and gold, my father calls her 'My lady of Fire'. Mom has a fiery temper to match her hair, but she was always sweet to me and my Dad."

"Yours is like touching sunlight, warm, beautiful and full of life." Yuri said to Alice, he loves brushing her hair, took too much pleasure in such a simple act. But then, Yuri has always been like this, a diamond in the rough. A man in his most essential form, no embellishments to camouflage the man he has become.

The sun has almost set when the two returned to camp. Keith sat on a log, cleaning his sword, Margarete was inside the tent, probably updating her journal. The old Sage was bent over the fire, stirring the contents of the pot that simmered over the flames.

"Oh God! No!" Yuri cried in horror. If the Old Goat is acting the chef tonight, that would mean more of the Quack Oracle's bitter, herbal stew.

Zhuzhen lifted his head and grinned at him with a gleam in his eyes. "What's the matter kid? Don't you know this is good for you?"

The bitter herbal soup was the worst thing he had ever tasted but strangely enough, every one felt revitalized after consuming it.

"I would rather munch on grass than suffer any more of your stinking soup old man!" Yuri snorted.

Zhuzhen laughed. "Ho ho! You think this stew stinks eh? Do you want to know what I put in it?"

"Yeah, the regular toad eggs, lizard skins, clipped toe-nails—"

"Yuri!" Alice gasped. Yuri scratched the back of his head and smiled ruefully at her.

"At least Master Zhuzhen's cooking would restore all of our strength, whatever his ingredients are." Keith said, sheathing his sword.

"Yeah. If only it didn't taste worse than muck." Yuri agreed, making the old man laugh again.

Just then Alice turned around. "Tiny? Where's Tiny?" She said. The puppy was nowhere to be seen.

Zhuzhen tugged at his long moustache and looked at her with troubled eyes.

"I really don't feel comfortable with that dog." He told them, "I can't place my finger on it, but there's something strange with that puppy. I think it would be best that you let it go Alice."

"But—"

Yuri touched her shoulder. "Listen to the Old Goat, Alice. He might be senile, but sometimes it's best to listen to what he says." Personally he didn't like the mutt, not because he can sense something out of the ordinary like Zhuzhen, but because of the attention Alice was fond to give the little dog. Yuri was just plain selfish, he didn't want to share her with anyone, not even with a dog.

"Do my ears deceive me?!" Zhuzhen said mockingly. "Or did I really hear you agree to what I have said?"

"Yeah you heard right you old coot, now just shut up!" Yuri said. Zhuzhen and Keith laughed.

Alice tried to laugh with them, but couldn't, she had always wanted a pet dog, but it seems now isn't the right time to have one. She sat down on the log beside Yuri, saw him grimace as Zhuzhen handed him a bowl of steaming, greenish soup.

Margarete slipped out of the tent and joined them. She wrinkled her nose but didn't complain when Zhuzhen handed her a bowl of the same content. At least they have some biscuits to make the bitter soup tolerable. As always, the Sage's 'special' stew revived them, both physically and mentally.

Long after the others settled down in their tents, Alice sat there before the fire, she wanted to go searching for her dog, but knew she cannot leave alone, and it was too dark to see anything. Just then Yuri stepped out of the tent, saw her sitting there and joined Alice on the log.

"What's the matter? Still waiting for Tiny?" He asked her, drawing her closer to his body with his arm. Alice accepted his warmth, leaning her head against his breast. She nodded and sighed deeply.

"I think it's best that we let the puppy go, we still don't know what we're up against with, and it might be safer for Tiny to find someone else to look after him. We'll get a dog after this mess, a dozen of them if you wish…just cheer up." Yuri said against her hair, inhaling the sweet scent that intoxicated him with desire.

Alice nodded, knowing he's right. Still, she misses the little dog. As if sensing it, Yuri caressed her arm consolingly.

"I'll get you a dog Alice, as soon as we straighten things out…But won't you rather scratch my ears instead?" He teased. Alice smiled, laughing softly at the thought of Yuri as her pet.

"And would you also roll over, shake hands and play dead?" She asked him.

"Sure, I can do all those things, no problem. But I expect a special treat in return." He countered.

"What sort of treats do you like?" She asked, enjoying the silliness of it all.

"This." He said kissing the tip of her nose. "And this." He kissed her lips, gently parting them with his tongue. The soft moan she gave made him shudder with longing. With shaking hands he framed her soft face, looked at her beautiful violet eyes, then kissed her again. He filled her mouth slowly, gently, completely, then withdrew. He filled her again, deeper, deeper still, while every fiber of his being cried out for him to fill that softer, other part of her, exquisitely shaped to receive him.

"Alice." He groaned against her lips. "God baby, you're burning me alive!" Hungrily his hands sought the swell of her breasts, caressed her and gently squeezed her.

She smiled at him, kissed him, and covered the hands that cupped her breasts with her own, molding herself against his palms, silently telling him that what he wants she'll give. That she wouldn't deny him, made Yuri suck his breath even as his blood thundered to that part of him that was already hard with longing.

But the time and place was never right! Why even now, that Quack Oracle may be peeking through the tent flap, spying on them! Although it was highly unlikely that Zhuzhen would do such a lowly act…still, he didn't want to rush their first time together, a quick tumble in the grass wasn't something he had envisioned for the two of them. He wanted her first time to be as perfect as he could humanly make it.

But he couldn't let her go, not yet. With eagerness that belied the gentleness of his hands, he caressed the softness of her legs; Yuri kissed her throat, lightly licking her skin, enjoying the soft subtle scent of roses. He longed to feel her naked against him, to touch and explore the secrets of her slender body. Yuri groaned as she cupped his face with her hands and kissed him, hungrily he accepted her own questing tongue, sucking her, not so gentle now, making her shudder in his arms. Her hands as they touched him tentatively, burned him hotter than any flame. And he wanted nothing more than to lay her down and show her that he was not the damned eunuch that had meekly allowed her to sleep alone. He wanted her with a force that threatened his very sanity.

Reluctantly he released her. "Go inside now baby." He ordered hoarsely.

Alice looked at him in confusion, the sight of her innocent eyes suffused with desire for him, almost made Yuri forget his better intentions, well, almost.

"Get inside baby or I'll hitch up those skirts above your waist and have you so deep and so hard you'd feel empty and incomplete if I'm not there." Yuri threatened gruffly.

"Now?" She asked hopefully, smiling at him softly with love in her eyes. The sight of her pink tongue licking over her lower lip almost made him burst in his pants! That she wanted him too was obvious in the way she looked at him, in the way her hands trembled against the front of his shirt. That she was equally frustrated with the unappeased longing for him, almost broke his hold over the basest dictates of his body. Yuri closed his eyes, it was so easy to take what she offered, right here, right now, but the decent part of him, the gentle, tender part of him demanded that he bide his time, that to rush into this would degrade their love, would turn something beautiful into something debauch.

In the past he had never bothered about what the woman might feel, if he got an itch in the crotch, he'll find someone to scratch it with. But Alice, she's not like any of the women of his past. She is the first woman he loves. And he simply cannot treat her the same way as those women. He will never degrade her, debase her…

"Alice listen to me." He said with eyes closed, fearing that if he look at her he won't have the strength to push her away. "When we do make love, I want to lay you down in the softest bed I could find." His voice trembled with longing, but he couldn't help it. "No rushing, no worries, and all the time in the world to make beautiful love with you…right now all we have is a few stolen minutes, a rocky bed roll and three other companions who are most likely waiting for us to make a move…" He groaned.

Alice blushed, she didn't know she could act this wanton with him, shed her inhibitions to the wind and allow him liberties to her person that only a husband should have. But Yuri is the husband of her heart, had always been, ever since she gave up her soul to save him. Still, there was something unnerving at the thought that their companions knew exactly what she and Yuri would do the moment they were alone. Her blush deepened, as she imagined how would she face their three companions the morning after?

"Go now." Yuri said, his eyes still closed. "Go now before I lose control and prove to you just how much of a beast I really am."

With shaky legs as if cold, Alice stood up from the log. Yuri opened his eyes finally and watched as she walked towards the tent.

"Good night baby, pleasant dreams." He said hoarsely. Alice bit her lip from protesting, she was hurting with wanting him that she thought sleep would be impossible for her tonight. But…if she's hurting like this, she who has never known the full measure of passion—then how much worse it must be for him.

"Good night Yuri, and may your dreams be pleasant too." She said softly, refusing to look at him, afraid that if she did, she'll run back to him and seduce him until he was the one begging her to finish what they have began. But, gathering whatever's left of her self control, Alice swept aside the tent flap, saw Margarete asleep in her bed roll, and forced herself to come inside.

She heard the flap of great wings behind her, Alice turned her head just in time to see Yuri fly off as Icarus, one of his fusion monster.

Guided by moonlight, the winged monster swoop down on the creek where Alice bathed earlier. Yuri contemplated the frigid water as he transformed back, not really relishing the thought of skinny dipping in the freezing cold. But there's no other way, no other way to drive out the frustration rioting in his veins, demanding for release. Since he had adamantly refused to alleviate this pain within her soft body, there are only two choices left: Either he jerk himself to kingdom come or a cold bath. He had chosen the latter, so now here he is. Hoping the cold won't make his privates shrivel and drop off, Yuri dunked head first into the freezing water.

He was grumpy the next morning, but even then Zhuzhen teased him. "Had a rough night?" To which Yuri only glared back at the old man. After a quick breakfast of black coffee and leftover biscuits, they began to dismantle the tents, and clear up the place.

Alice still hoped that her dog would come back, but when the time came for them to move on and still no sign of Tiny, she sighed sadly and let the puppy go. She had wondered how Tiny would survive in the wild, but then there's nothing she can do but let nature take its course.

As the group headed towards London, oblivious of the old woman who now stood where they have set camp the previous night, Arcane Olga looked at the departing group with malicious eyes.

Nothing she had discovered bode well for her plans. The Harmonixer has just proven that he was no ordinary man dictated by his dick. If only the boy were easier to manipulate…but Olga has seen just how much self control the kid has over himself—which really shouldn't be a surprise, after all, if he is really so weak willed, then the monsters he fused with would have taken over his body from the start.

So now, she got to find a new weakness. Masquerading as the dog Alice called 'Tiny' was degrading enough for Olga, but it had to be done. But the Old Sage Zhuzhen was too perceptive, Olga knew that had she stayed with them longer, the old man would sniff her out.

In order for her plan to work, she got to find a weakness. The only problem in the group was the Hyuga boy, the rest would be easy to disperse. As long as that fusionist stands in their way, the Elliot girl would remain beyond their grasp. Olga had thought of seduction to lure the young man away, but the events of last night crushed that hope. He was so strong-willed that he had denied himself from taking Alice, the object of his desires, all because he wanted her first time to be perfect. Bah! Olga spat contemptuously.

But it was no use to boil over the unchangeable facts, she must find a weakness and she better find it soon.

Just then, a thought formed in her mind. She had seen just how possessive the Hyuga kid was, as far as the girl was concerned. If Olga could manipulate that—_Yes! That's it!_ Olga thought with an evil glint in her eyes.

Luring the boy with another woman was out of the question. But, if Alice were to be unfaithful, if she had betrayed him with another man, then the depths of his rage will know no bounds. He will hate her as surely and as deeply as he had loved her. Then, he would leave her defenseless, and at their mercy!

His love and devotion guarded her like a well defended stronghold. But Olga knew, from long ago, that the best way to break down a stronghold…is treachery from within.

_To be continued…_


	3. English Rose

(O)(II)(O) English Rose (O)(II)(O)  
_Central London, England._

Trafalgar Square is one of London's pleasant open spaces. The square is dominated by a huge monument in honor of Lord Nelson's great naval victory in the Napoleonic Wars. The pedestrians are further enticed to view its fountains, pools and other statues.

Yuri leaned his head against the back rest of the wooden bench, where he and Alice sat. He looked at her profile while she broke pieces of bread to feed the doves that cooed at the ground near their feet. He tucked a wisp of hair that had escaped her braid behind her ear, just the perfect excuse for him to touch her. She turned her head and smiled at him even as he traced the soft line of her jaw.

Beside him sat her new Bible, the one they have bought in one of the bookshops that lined Charing Cross Road. She had pointed out to him the National Gallery, but Yuri has no fondness for the finer arts, so they decided to relax at the square instead, they have chosen this bench for two that faced the central fountain.

"I wonder if Keith and Margarete had any success. I never imagined London would be this big, wonder how we could ever find clues about this Simon guy." Yuri said. He wiped the cover of her Bible with his palm, brushing off dust.

Alice had a faraway look, and barely heard him. Coming back here was quite painful, because the place reminded her so much of her father who died in Rouen protecting her. Yuri noticed her preoccupation and knew the reason for it. He clasped her hand consolingly, vowing to avenge her father's death. _No one makes my woman sad and gets away with it!_ He knew that coming here was more painful than revisiting Rouen. But Alice refused to allow her feelings get in the way for what they must do: Stop this Roger Bacon. They knew he was up to something more sinister than Dehuai's reverse invocation.

"Before I joined the London Missionary Society, I used to attend a university just north of here, just across Tottenham Court Road. I was studying Theology there, when I decided to accompany my father in his missions." Alice pointed out northward, beyond the St. Martin's parish church, smiling wistfully. "Father didn't want me to drop out of school, and I didn't want him to stop his missions just so he could stay with me. In the end, I persuaded him to continue."

Yuri listened attentively, all the while rubbing her hand with his thumb.

"One way or the other, we will find out more about this Cardinal Simon." She paused then looked at him. "You know, sometimes I wonder… if I have stayed here instead of accompanying him, maybe he would be still alive today. I know it sounds selfish but… I still don't understand why father has to die." Her voice trembled from unshed tears. Hearing it, Yuri pulled her close to his body and tucked her head against the crook of his neck.

"But if you stayed here, that Bacon guy would have captured you, and that is what your father feared the most isn't it? I believe that is the reason why he didn't want to leave you alone, that is why you began to travel to all those places, so it would be difficult for Bacon to trail you." At his touch, something seemed to snap inside her. With only tears to express the depths of her feelings, Alice mourned for the man whose smile and fatherly hugs she still misses to this day. There were days she longed to hear her father's encouraging words, the soothing, calm voice that had chased away her fears as a little girl…but he was gone, beyond physical reach.

Yuri caressed her head tenderly, he crooned nonsense against her hair but seem to soothe her.

After a while, Alice took out her handkerchief and blew her nose. She tried to smile at him, tried for a light note in her voice, but failed. "I don't know what came over me."

"Hush, it's all right to cry for the one you love." Yuri said, taking her handkerchief and wiped her tears himself. Few women could cry and still look beautiful, Alice was one of them. The tears only magnified her violet eyes, gave them a soft sparkle, like precious gems. Her cheeks and nose were pink from crying and he found it irresistible to kiss the soft rosebud of her lips. Yuri bent his head towards hers, dropping a light kiss on her mouth, no passion, no desire, just love and tenderness.

Alice smiled at him, and burrowed closer to his body, inhaling his pleasant, warm sandalwood scent.

"Come on baby, let's go. Everybody's probably wondering where we are now…or what we are _doing_." Yuri said as he stood up.

"You think that, they're really wondering if we're…errr…" Alice said, blushing, unable to complete her words.

"Yeah. Well, at least if I was in their place, I'd wonder what two lovers would be doing the moment they are alone." Yuri said, smiling as Alice blushed even redder.

"Oh baby there's nothing to be ashamed about, those folks are old enough to have lovers somewhere along the road."

"I know... but still..." Her combination of innocence and passion fascinated him. When she is in his arms, and passion ruled supreme, once he gets beyond her shyness or reticence, Alice is simply stunning—uninhibited, wild and very sexy. But out of those moments, she would blush to the roots of her hair at the slight mention of intimacy.

But before he could say anything, a couple approached them. The man had blond hair and brown eyes, he looked younger than Yuri and he was devilishly handsome. His stylish clothing declared his social elite status. Both his looks and material wealth had made him believe he can have everything he wanted, thus he was terribly arrogant and spoiled. The woman who walked beside him, had considerable beauty. Long brown curls framed her heart shaped face, while thick dark lashes partially covered her emerald eyes in a sneer as they rudely perused Alice from her toes up

"Alice? Is it really you? Why it is! It's my sweet little rose!" The man exclaimed. He took both her hands boldly and before Alice or Yuri could react, the man dropped a kiss on her lips.

Shocked that the man would dare touch what is his, Yuri grabbed him by the lapels of his great coat and lifted him up until the man's feet flailed wildly in the air.

"Watch it pal! She's my woman." Yuri hissed.

"A-aalice!" The poor man cried, asking for her help.

"Yuri please, he didn't mean any harm…he's an old school mate of mine." Alice said, gently tugging his arm.

Yuri was very much tempted to fling the pathetic excuse of a man against the lamp post, but conscious of the curious stares of the spectators, Yuri forced himself to release the man.

"Who is he?" Yuri demanded.

"Christopher Wilbur. He was one of my classmates." Alice said. "And she is—"

"Charlotte Webb." The other woman interrupted, she presented her right hand to Yuri for a kiss. But he merely gazed at her hand then at her as if deciding for himself whether she got something contagious or not, then finally gave her a brief handshake. Charlotte's eyes widened at the insult, but said nothing. Few men have ever resisted her charms, and it seems this man is the worst of the lot. But then, she can have any man she wants once she set her heart on it.

Christopher rearranged his coat, and massaged his hair to some semblance of order. "Who is this beast Alice? How can you bear to have him near you?"

"Yuri. Her man." He interrupted before Alice could speak. "As for wanting to be near me, that's none of your damn business!" He wrapped a possessive arm around her waist, drawing her close. Then his predatory gaze studied the man before him with cold eyes.

The dandy measured Yuri and found the things he envied most in another man. Yuri radiated power and strength so great that one could almost taste it, so sleekly powerful and yet graceful at the same time. He emitted authority, unafraid of man, or beast or monster; beholden to no one but himself and to his God.

For Yuri, all he saw was the other man had the looks of a fallen angel, blond, brown-eyed and extremely handsome. He also has the air of an aristocrat, a man who could provide a life of ease for a woman for as long as she lives. And in that moment both men saw what they had secretly envied most and became mortal enemies. All of a sudden, there was an uncomfortable tension in the atmosphere. Alice could sense that Yuri was very angry, angry enough to smear the whole city grounds with Christopher.

If looks could kill, Wilbur would be dead by now. The icy, lethal stare Yuri gave him made Christopher step back, but unable to contain himself, he fixed his eyes on Alice like a child would with a luscious candy.

Charlotte was quiet all the time, taking in the situation silently. She knew all at once that the handsome man she fancies belonged to Alice. Long dark lashes covered the emerald eyes for a moment as Charlotte recalled the past with Alice.

No matter how hard she had tried, Alice seems to beat her in everything in school. The first in class, the most popular girl in campus…everything that once belonged to Charlotte before Alice came and took them away. Naturally she blamed it all on Alice. In truth, if she'll only be honest to herself, Charlotte would know that the other woman's innate kindness is what drew everyone to her like magnet. When Alice started traveling with her father, Charlotte was overjoyed. She had thought she could have all the attention back again. But it didn't happen that way.

In short, the only reason she hated Alice, is because Charlotte is a bitter woman.

"Are you staying at the same place?" Charlotte asked, as if she had not witnessed the tension between the two men.

Alice nodded her head. "I'll pay you a visit later." Charlotte said, hiding her eyes lest the other girl see the malicious gleam in them.

"Alice let's go." Yuri said tugging her hand. Alice nodded once to her old classmates then followed Yuri, eager to get away from the lascivious eyes of Christopher. He made her feel as if he was mentally undressing her, not to mention that Yuri might lose patience and then all hell would break loose.

He almost dragged her in his haste to get away, Alice tried to keep up, smiling apologetically to people she bumped into along the way. Suddenly he found a deserted alley and pulled her there. Almost roughly he placed her back against the brick wall, imprisoned her against there with his own body. For the space of several breaths he simply studied her face. Alice looked back unflinchingly, knowing he would never hurt her, no matter how tense his body was against hers. His muscles were so worked up like a predator that has spotted its prey.

That he was jealous of Christopher Wilbur, Alice couldn't comprehend, but it elated her, but had she known the cause, she would have assured him of her love no matter how lacking he might find himself. Yuri was jealous of the other man because Wilbur had the means to provide for a woman in a grand manner, a life of ease which he could not provide, after all, what could a Fusionist like himself really offer to Alice? No wealth, no title, all he could give her is his love. Will that be enough for her?

After things settle down, he hopes to buy a farm, because as crazy as it might sound, he love growing things, and it's one of his fondest memories of his father. When Ben is at home, he would plow the fields and plant seeds, help with harvest then leave for his work in the army. That is what Yuri hopes to do too, plant wheat fields and grow corn, and raise little girls who got their mother's violet eyes and rosebud lips. Any place will do as long as Alice is with him. But will she be happy being a farmer's wife?

Some would probably say that he would be wasted as a farmer, but joining the army is out of the question. The few, precious moments he had shared with his own father, the loneliness of his mother whenever Ben would go away for work…Yuri had vowed never to do the same to his own family.

It was his greatest fear, the thought that she might leave him to seek a finer life with another man, one who could offer her stylish living for as long as she lives. The memory of the way Wilbur clasped her close and kiss her as if stamping her as his, the way he looked at her with naked lust in his eyes, made Yuri violently jealous.

Possessively, he clutched Alice closer, his hands holding the softness of her derriere as he pulled her tighter to him. "You belong to me." He said harshly against her lips. "and this…is mine!" He ground his hips against hers, rubbing the soft flesh between her legs with his aroused hardness. His action both shocked and excited her.

"Yuri…" she gasped, blushing. It's not as if he had never touched her there, for he already had, except that he would always stop when the passion between them gets harder to control. Yuri had always permitted kissing and petting, but that is all. Until now, she is still a virgin, a burning virgin if such really exists. That he denied himself, made her love him even more, he who has always taken what he wanted without a second thought, he who was not used to having his own needs denied.

Yuri wanted to wait, and Alice knew she should be elated that he was being so considerate, not all men would do the same, and yet, she couldn't help the feelings, the needs that he had awakened in her. All Yuri had to do was look at her, smile at her and all the yearning in her heart and soul would rush to the fore, his slightest touch had the power to make her burn, to turn her into a wanton woman, eager to know the full measure of passion in his arms. What he made her feel simply transcended what is right or wrong, in his arms nothing seemed to matter, she really didn't care whether the Church would condemn her actions.

It was also the cause of their first argument. As shocked as she was to her passionate response to him, Yuri had once teased her, "Are you really a virgin?"

She knew that he was only teasing, but Alice felt somehow slighted. "Why do you ask?" She asked carefully.

Yuri, in his usual, dense way totally overlooked her hurt air and blurted. "You look as innocent as an angel, but you certainly don't act one when you are in my arms."

That made her suck in her breath, if she didn't love the great dummy, she would have hit him hard with the heaviest war hammer she could find.

But then memories assailed her, of the first time she had seen him naked, she had looked at his very aroused body, admired every inch of him, sleekly muscled, magnificently built, and instead of feeling shocked or disgusted, she longed to run her hands all over him, to feel his skin beneath her palms…and he had watched her fascinated stares. His eyes burned, telling her he would like to see her too.

_Is that why he said I don't act like a virgin? _Alice had thought to herself.

"Why?" She asked him, "How do you expect a virgin to react when she sees the man she loves naked? Scream? Faint?"

Before Yuri could reply she asked again. "How do you expect a virgin to react when the man she loves touches her, shows her things she had never imagined before, made her feel as though he's burning her alive? Scream? Hide? Should she coyly cover herself and say no to him? Should she clamp her legs so tightly together a sheet of paper won't fit between her legs? Is that how a virgin should react with the man she loves?"

He had angered her, Yuri knew, but her words made him hold her in his arms, awed that he was capable of making her feel that way, he thought the feeling was a one way street, that only he felt the yearning, the aching emptiness. To hear her say those words humbled him. He kissed her angry mouth, gently, tenderly, in silent apology. He never asked her again about her virginity.

And yet, he seems to understand the inner turmoil within her, the other half of her that still whispers that premarital sex is wrong. But she couldn't help feel, after all she's merely human…and what was it she had often heard? _The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak_. She only understood the meaning of those words now, when he awakened the passion lying dormant within her.

That is the real reason why he wanted to wait, because he understood her better than she understands herself. He didn't want her conscience to bother her afterwards, when the flames have died down and passion no longer racked their bodies in sexual tension. He didn't want her to feel ashamed afterwards, as if their love is something to be done beneath the blankets, hidden from the eyes of God.

But now, he got the look of a man who wanted to tumble her to the nearest bed, she had never seen the fire that now burned in his eyes, but Alice was not afraid of him. He rubbed her lips with his thumb as if erasing the touch of the other man. His gentle touch belied the passionate fire that made his eyes seethe.

"Yuri?" She asked, confused.

"Just a little cleansing ritual." He said, then claimed her lips. He kissed her urgently, possessively as if burning away the memory of the other man from her mind.

She kissed him back, shuddering as memories of another time he had kissed her just as urgently assailed her.

Both were breathless when he finally released her mouth, Yuri leaned his head towards her until their foreheads touched.

"God baby, don't ever let me see you kiss another man again, not even a wobbly, old fart. I can't stand it!" He said in a low urgent voice.

Alice could only caress his cheeks, and smile lovingly.

(O)(o)(O)

Meanwhile…

"Ack! She's still as pretty as a rosebud." Christopher exclaimed. Charlotte paid little attention to him, not really interested to listen to Wilbur's infatuation with Alice which had started the first day Alice came to school. Perhaps the only reason why Christopher can't get over her, is because Alice was the only girl who had ever turned down the handsome man, whose combined wealth after inheriting his Uncle's estates as well was enough to make a king envious.

"She still looks as innocent as before, bet that dog who walk on two legs have not bedded her yet." Wilbur sighed again. "Ah to be the man to finally have her! She's as skittish as a filly whose master had never ridden her."

"Oh shut up Chris!" Charlotte said irritably. "If you want her that badly why don't you just abduct her and be done with it!"

"You never liked her huh, Charlotte?" Christopher said, looking at her intently.

"I hate that stupid bitch! Why does she have to come back here all pretty and graceful, why couldn't she have died with that old fart in Rouen! I thought she was dead when she suddenly disappeared, and now—!"

Her words died when an old woman in black approached them. Thinking the older woman was begging for alms, Charlotte drew herself haughtily and said,

"Don't you dare come near me, you filthy old hag, or I'll have you arrested for accosting a woman of fine breeding!"

But Arcane Olga only cackled evilly. "Hee hee, such fine words for a woman like yourself. I didn't come here to beg for stupid alms. I overheard you talking about that Elliot girl, and I think I can help you with what you both want."

Charlotte looked at her as if appalled. "You? What can an old hag like yourself possibly offer?"

Knowing that she needed to make this stupid woman see reason before she was forced to kill her, Olga snapped her fingers. Two lamp posts behind her were cleanly severed at the base and fell on the cobbled pavement. The other pedestrians squeaked in surprise, wondering what happened. But the two knew that the old hag was responsible.

"I could be more persuasive if I want to." Olga said. "But I'm afraid I don't have the time. Either you help me out or you die. The choice is yours."

Of course Charlotte and Wilbur chose the former. They like to keep their bodies exactly the way it is. In one piece.

(O)(o)(O)

_Charlotte's apartment, a few weeks later._

"If you knew he won't be seduced then why the hell didn't you tell me before?" Charlotte angrily yanked the ribbon of her bonnet and threw the hat on the table.

Her attempts to seduce the young Harmonixer only ended in humiliation. Yuri was neither beguiled or enticed nor enchanted with the brown haired beauty, in fact, all she earned was his contempt. Ah she will never forget those hateful words he had showered in her ears that last meeting.

"What does Alice have that I don't?" She had screeched at him, angrily pulling on her clothes. By Jove! She had walked in almost naked before him and all the bastard did was stare at her insolently.

"You are not worth for her to stand on!" Yuri declared angrily. "You think you have it all huh? You think you're so damn beautiful that my cock would just spring up to answer your beck and call. Well it won't work bitch. I would rather bore a hole in the ground and have my pleasure than have your filthy hands touch me! Get out of here Bitch! Go to that friend Wilbur of yours and have him scratch your itch!"

By George! The man has the foulest mouth she had ever met!

Olga cackled, as if Charlotte' suffering was amusing to her. Olga didn't really want to enlist the help of these pathetic creatures, but in order to hasten her plan to fruition, she had to.

"What's so damn funny?" Charlotte glared at the old woman.

Olga shook her head. "The Elliot girl left her friends to go to Rouen alone this morning."

Charlotte shrugged, she already knew that, that was why she had boldly stalked Yuri, knowing Alice won't be with him.

"This is the chance I've been waiting for. Let us leave for Rouen immediately." Olga said.

"Why? What do you have in mind?" Charlotte asked curiously, wondering what the old woman has up her sleeve. Just then, Wilbur arrived with his own luggage, all dressed up and ready to travel.

"You'll soon know. Don't forget to bring what I told you." Then Olga smiled in pure malice, her wrinkled eyes twinkling in glee, making Charlotte almost sorry for Alice.  
"We got an English Rose to deflower!"

_To be continued…_

(O)(o)(O)

Author's notes:

I know I should have chosen a different name for 'Charlotte Webb' and 'Christopher Wilbur' but I can't help it! To those who are not familiar with E.B. White's story 'Charlotte's Web', Charlotte is the name of the spider that tried to save the life of a runt pig, Wilbur who was destined to become bacon by the end of summer. The moment I noticed the spider on Olga's back, I just felt like doing it! Absolutely no connection, just a whim of mine or lack of creativity.

For the record: On arriving in London, Yuri and his gang met Halley, the leader of London Rats. After a series of events, in the hope of finding more about Albert Simon whom father Doyle mentioned before Olga killed him in Rouen, they uncovered more clues that only confused them even more. Anyway, after attempting to rescue Halley's mom Koudelka in Calios, Koudelka said something to Bacon, like 'You who now calls himself Roger Bacon' This made Alice think about the night she and her father were to meet a certain man in Rouen, and she had decided to leave for Rouen alone, to make certain of her growing suspicions. Arcane Olga is also supposed to die in that last battle in Calios. Only I extended her miserable life here.

As for Alice's contradicting behavior, the prim, innocent type has always been her major characteristics, but Puffy, being the naughty girl that she is, just couldn't imagine a girl in love to act like a cold fish. Yeah, you might not agree with Puffy here, and she didn't mean to offend anyone…but Puffy believes that a girl in love would do crazy things, things she wouldn't have done had she been not deeply in love. For Puffy, being irrational and unreasonable are some of the symptoms of love, there is no simpler way to explain this. That is why Puffy believes that If Alice truly loves Yuri, she would act in a manner that is very uncharacteristic.

Feel free to whack Puffy on the head if she did something wrong. Just don't expect she'll love you for it. **:D**

"We. Exist."

Puffy.


	4. Path to Ruin

(o) Warning (o) Air turbulence ahead. Please bring a barf bag.

* * *

(O)(III)(O) The Path to Ruin. (O)(III)(O)  
_Rouen, France._

The abandoned church still looked as eerie as before, no, worse. Alice shuddered; she could sense unclean spirits in a place that ceased to be sacred a long time ago. But it wasn't only the unholy beings that haunt the church that she felt, Alice could also sense despair, hopelessness, and fear.

Rubbing her chilled arms, Alice checked the confessional box. She remembered that Father Doyle was taking forever in here that night her father died just at the back of the church. Just then, she noticed a small compartment at the wooden desk.

Curiously she inspected the compartment and found a photo of Father Doyle and a man who looked so much like Roger Bacon! Alice gasped, Father Doyle has met Roger Bacon and must have been close acquaintances as the photo suggested. When she turned to check the photo's back, Alice felt as though she couldn't breathe, for written there clearly was the date the photo was taken and the names: Cardinal Albert Simon and that of Doyle's.

Alice shut her eyes as her suspicions proved correct. So that is why Father Doyle acted so strangely when he saw her, he knew that he was leading Morris and Alice to their deaths by arranging that meeting with 'Albert Simon' which is actually the real name of Roger Bacon! Alice shuddered as emotions welled up within her, anger, sorrow, betrayal…_Thank God my father died not knowing this._ Alice thought. _Thank God, father didn't know that his trusted friend had arranged his inevitable demise, it would break father to know that a man of God was capable of stooping this low…_

She must go back to London and inform everyone. She would leave as soon as it's light tomorrow. Alice tried to find it in her heart to forgive Father Doyle for what he had done, but it was difficult to forgive the man who arranged her father's death. And yet, Alice realized that Father Doyle deserves pity rather than anger or hate…hadn't the man suffered heavily enough? His conscience won't give him reprieve and he had lived his last days in constant fear that Albert Simon would come and end his life too.

Yes. Alice thought. Father Doyle lived miserably, and whatever it was that had pushed him to betray her father, it must have taken a heavy toll on his soul. Finding it easier to forgive the fallen priest, Alice prayed that where ever Father Doyle may be, she hoped he finally found peace.

But when Alice stepped out of the confession box, her heart almost jumped up her throat, for the man standing not three feet away is Albert Simon/ Roger Bacon himself. But strangely, the man didn't do anything to cause further alarm.

Silently, Alice followed Simon to the altar.

(O)(o)(O)

At the hotel, that same evening…

Alice sat on her bed, gazing out of the window. She had packed all her things for her departure tomorrow.

Rouen held the most painful memories for her, for here is where her father gave his life to protect her. Alice had managed to revisit this place when Margarete asked them to join her here, because Yuri was there, lending her his strength. But Alice knew she had to let go of the past, for if she keep on grieving like this, her father won't be at peace. That is why she had come here all alone, to say her final farewells.

Ah, how she miss Yuri! Alice closed her eyes even as she hugged the pillow close to her body. She missed his loud mouthed complaints, his silly questions, his childish antics.

_He_ _must be mad at me_. Alice thought. _I slipped off without telling him, leaving only that note. I should have allowed him to come with me._

But being alone with him won't help her state of mind, for where Yuri was concerned, Alice found that her feelings are a tangled mass. Heart and mind are at constant battle, the other one demanded to wait before they consummate their relationship, but the other demands that making love cannot be wrong. Which one should she follow?

Alice dug her fingers into the pillow in frustration. _What a fine mess we're in!_ She thought unhappily. Why can't they just love each other and let the devil take the hindmost? Surely they are not the first man and woman who couldn't wait for marriage to sanctify their union? _And did Adam and Eve have a preacher to seal their vows?_ Alice thought unreasonably. _Well no! God simply gave her to Adam, no formal ceremonies, just the vows in their hearts…so why can't it be the same for us?_ That she was being irrational, Alice knew. She hoped she was not committing a graver sin by thinking of such thoughts. Why, her father would be shocked if he knew what his daughter is thinking!

Just then, there was knock on her door, interrupting her unhappy, frustrated thoughts. It was room service. Alice nodded her thanks and fished in her pocket for a coin to tip the young girl that served her meal.

She placed her dinner on the small dining table. The succulent aroma of roast beef assailed her nostrils as she lifted the metal cover, but Alice had little appetite. Deciding it was just the lack of company rather than anything else, Alice forced herself to eat.

She would have preferred sherry to the white wine she was now sipping, her nose curling as she thought that the wine is exceptionally strong. Or perhaps it's just her palate that's not being agreeable tonight.

She must have taken a few more sips when Alice suddenly noticed the changes in her body. _My God_, she thought silently, _what is happening to me?_ Surely the alcohol cannot be responsible for the sudden heat that permeated her body. Alice writhed in her chair, her legs squirming as yearning suffused the flesh between her thighs. _How can this be?_ She thought a little hysterically. _Yuri isn't even here!_ But she wanted him, wanted him so much it was unbearable. Alice couldn't contain a soft moan as memories assailed her, those stolen moments they have shared…the aching emptiness between her legs intensified.

_Yuri!_ She cried silently, yearning for him, aching for him even more as the seconds ticked by. Is this God's punishment for wanting a man so badly outside the marriage bed? Wanting him so much she thought she'd go out of her mind? Or is this the work of the Devil himself? _But Yuri isn't here!_ What was the use in tempting her now?

_A cold shower_. Alice thought. _That's what I need_. She was already unbuttoning her clothes. Alice was shocked to see her nipples hard, aroused, as if begging for his touch, his kiss, the slight friction of her clothes against the hard buds was enough to make her bite her lip in intense hunger and arousal. _No! _Alice cried as she felt the silky wetness between her legs that betrayed her need. _This can't be happening! I must be going crazy!_

But when she got up from her chair, the world suddenly tipped over. Alice gasped and clutched the edge of the table before she could fall. She tried to keep her heavy eyelids open, tried to walk to the bathroom, wondering what was happening to her, it was getting darker and darker at the periphery of her vision; all too soon, the darkness swallowed her.

Alice collapsed on the carpeted floor, just a foot away from the bathroom door.

Just then, the door that led to the hallway opened. Three people came inside quietly.

"I can't believe your potion worked." Charlotte said, untying the ribbon that held her hat.

Christopher walked over to Alice's prone form and lifted her up. Her clothes were partially unbuttoned and Christopher smiled in glee, as he feasted on the generous expanse of flesh that was revealed to him.

He carried her to the single bed and sat down beside her, awed once again at her beauty.

Charlotte worked on setting up a camera, while Olga watched on with a pleased look in her wrinkled face. In her mind she remembered the conversation that took place just before she set out here in Rouen, with her master.

"I got my key now, Olga. I have no more use for that girl." Albert Simon said.

"But master…" Olga said, beginning to protest.

"Do whatever you wish with her. I couldn't care less."

Though Simon had no more use for Alice, Olga wanted revenge for all the humiliation she had suffered because of Alice and her man. Those fights first in Prague, then here at the church and finally that battle in Calios. She had vowed revenge and nothing will stop her from extracting it.

"All is ready." Charlotte said, stopping Olga's thoughts. "Chris why don't you start?"

"What? Aren't you two going to give me privacy?" he protested.

"Now is not the time to be shy Chris!" Charlotte argued. "Why I thought your night activities at Lady Cabot's would have built up your confidence to perform before spectators."

Christopher turned to her aghast. "How did you—" But then he composed himself and smiled smugly. "For you to know those weekly night orgies my dear, you first must be a patron. My, my, I guess I shouldn't be too shocked to hear that you have joined those um—activities as well."

Charlotte drew herself indignantly. She was about to deny his words when Olga interrupted.

"I'm getting sick and tired of all your childish nonsense! Christopher if you're not man enough to do it, I'll find someone else who will!"

"Oh I'll do it old woman. But I don't want those wrinkled eyes watching me, those cold eyes of yours have a peculiar effect on my—ah, manhood."

Olga shook her head. "No. I have waited long for this moment, I will not be denied of my revenge against this girl and her man."

Just then Alice writhed on the bed, her partially clad body showed flushed, pink skin.

"Yuri…" She moaned.

Charlotte looked at the girl on the bed and turned to Olga. "Just what did you put in her drink anyway? She looks as if she's having dreams or something."

"Exactly." Olga nodded. "I blended a special concoction of sleeping potion that would maker her dream deeply. That potion would release all the carnal desires in her body, but I had to add the sleeping draught for this girl will not come willingly to Christopher, aphrodisiac or not."

"Why didn't you just create an illusion that Chris is her man? She would succumb to him if she believes he is Yuri, and it would have been easier!" Charlotte said.

"Never!" Christopher declared vehemently. "I want Alice to know that it is I, not that two-legged dog that had bedded her. I want her to know without a doubt that it is me who has taken her virginity."

"How do you know she is still a virgin?" Charlotte said skeptically.

"It's simple really, I am a man, and I know a sexually frustrated man when I see one. That monster of hers had not taken her to his bed, of that I am positively sure."

"How will she know it was you, you Jackass?! She's unconscious!" Charlotte sneered.

"Enough!" Olga shrieked. "If you test my patience further, you'll find yourselves searching for your body parts in the streets before this night is through!"

Chastised, the two obeyed quietly. Olga sat on a chair to watch the proceedings.

Christopher shrugged out of his clothes, though he had protested about privacy, he was actually proud of his body. For him, no other woman but Alice could match his male beauty. In fairness, Christopher had the magnificent body often found in classical male sculptures. Sleekly muscled and lean. His hours of playing sports had ensured that.

Alice was so deeply asleep that she did not rouse even though the scum had undressed her. He left her cross on, crowing that it was sexier to see her wearing nothing but the gold pendant.

He had bared her body completely, making Christopher whistle again in awe. Her skin was soft, silky and flawless. Just the sight of her pink nipples was enough to arouse his lust.

"She smells so good…" the scoundrel said, kissing her neck, her closed lips, all the while his hands trespassed the length of her legs, the flat plane of her stomach, her breasts, imprinting deplorable marks on her unconscious body.

"Get on with it!" Charlotte screamed impatiently, choking on the smoke of the camera as she took pictures of the two in bed. Olga, her face wrinkled in an evil smile walked to the windows to open them. She could almost see the young Fusionist's face the moment he sees his precious woman in the arms of another. _First, he'll be spitting mad enough to kill her himself, then he will hurt worse than any Hell has in store for him!_ Olga cackled in glee.

Christopher roughly parted Alice's thighs, for a moment gazing at her vulnerable flesh with naked lust in his eyes. She's perfect, the most beautiful he had ever seen, and Christopher had seen countless others. With greedy hands he traced her soft folds, smiling in anticipation of the moment he would part the pale flesh that contrasted so beautifully with the deep rose of her nether lips. It would be sheer heaven just to press inside her. He couldn't believe his luck! For years he had wanted to bed the wench, but she had always put him off, always acted so prim and ooh-don't-touch-me. Well, the bitch will pay for scorning him, why he would have married her had she been more welcoming to his advances. It didn't matter now, he'll have his fill of her and then use the pictures Charlotte has taken to blackmail her to submit to his every whim!

"God she is a beauty!" Christopher exclaimed as he studied her nakedness once more. Roughly he grasped her breasts, squeezing the soft flesh so hard that Alice whimpered, but still, it wasn't enough to wake her up.

"Ahh you little Bitch, I have you now…too bad you are not awake to see the things I'll do to you. Always acting so high and righteous, well…we'll see who's prim and proper after I'm through with you!" He suckled her breasts, and as if that wasn't satisfying for him, he bit her nipple hard enough to leave red marks. He parted her legs with his hands, settling his hips between her legs, eager to claim her as his.

But before the gutless scum could complete his dastardly act, a bright light suddenly repelled him from her. Christopher could only stare in befuddled stance as the light radiating from her cross enveloped Alice, creating a barrier around her, protecting her from him. He looked rather ridiculous sitting there still gawking, his member still throbbing from unfulfilled lust. To come this close and not be able to finish what he had always wanted! He was not about to be deterred from having her, like a madman he lunged to grab her, but the power, whatever it was refused to permit him access, as if it had a mind of its own, it guarded her, prevented him from even touching the tips of her feet.

Both Charlotte and Olga stood transfixed, their mouth absurdly gaping in surprise.

"Hey Olga! Can't you do something? This light won't let me get to her!" Christopher protested. Olga approached the bed, chanted words of magic, but no matter what spells she used, she cannot undo the force of light that defended the girl.

"It's no use." She sighed. "This girl is being protected by a force greater than any I have known."

"Horseshit!" He swore. "So you mean it's over? You can't do anything?"

Olga shook her head slowly. Christopher swore again, furiously he gathered his clothes.

"If something like this was to happen, why the hell did you let me think I could have her any way I want?! Christ! If I knew this would happen I never would have agreed to your schemes."

"Why blame me?" Olga said angrily. "If you were gentle with her like a lover should be, she wouldn't have denied you."

"What are you saying old hag?" Christopher said as he jerked his shirt on.

"Alice knew that you weren't Yuri because instead of wooing her or being tender with her, you had the manners of a rutting pig!"

"How dare you say such things about me?!" Christopher cried indignantly.

"Olga is right you know, you're not an exemplary lover as you think." Charlotte agreed.

"What do you know? You're not worth a tinker's damn in bed either!" Christopher shot back, hurriedly finishing dressing.

The look that both women gave him was venomous. Bah! What does he care? He'll find the finest brothel in town tonight and sleep in the arms of at least three women. But the sight of Alice as she lay there, so near and yet beyond his reach made Christopher angrier. He stormed out of the room, cursing fit enough to burn stone.

Charlotte started to pack up her camera. "Guess party is over huh?" She said. Too bad it had to end this way, she was so eager to see Alice raped and be the one to tell her of her degradation. It would devastate Alice more than anything else, to have her precious virginity taken from her against her will.

Ah well, Charlotte sighed, she will have to be content with the thought that Alice would lose the man she loves anyway.

Olga looked at the girl on the bed, even now the light refused to leave, even now protecting the unconscious girl. It must be the same power that made her master covets this Elliot girl. She shook her head in disappointment, but like Charlotte, Olga had to console herself with the thought that the loss of her man would hurt her enough, perhaps even more than rape could ever inflict.

Suddenly there were screams of a man outside the building, Charlotte rushed to the balcony to see what the commotion was. The sight that met her down the street was so grotesque she almost threw up. Wilbur, whatever was left of him, was badly mangled, lying in a pool of his own blood, his entrails were torn out, as if clawed by monsters. The only thing that gave away his identity was the black derby hat he had worn before he left.

"You had him killed?" Charlotte asked the old witch, clasping her own neck in fear.

Olga shrugged. "The Fusionist would have killed him anyway."

(O)(o)(O)

When she woke the next morning, the first thing Alice noticed was her state of undress. With a start she sat up on the bed. Shocked and confused to see her nakedness. Almost in a panic, she rushed to the adjoining bathroom.

She studied herself on the full length mirror that hung on one side of the wall, like a dazed woman she touched her image on the glass, noting the bruises on her breasts, her stomach, her neck. The redness and scratches on her skin…looked suspiciously from beard burn. Her breasts ached, and there were teeth marks on her left nipple. Her thighs bore similar marks, imprints from a man's hands…

_My God!_ Alice thought in anguish, _What happened to me? _Was she raped?

How? It was a thought not worth bearing. She swallowed painfully, trying to think rationally. Last night, the last thing she remembered was eating the food brought up by the room service and drinking that white wine. Then she must have fallen asleep because the rest was blank. Had she forgotten to lock the door? Did anyone enter her room and forced himself on her while she was asleep?

_My God Yuri!_ She thought again, how could she tell Yuri about this?

She knew it was wrong to come here all alone, but she never expected to be…Tears refused to come, though she wanted to, but tears are borne from hope…she have none left…she had been violated. Tears won't change that horrible fact, no matter how hard she might wish otherwise.

Numbly she stood under the shower, mechanically soaping her body more from habit than conscious thought, her mind drowned in a haze of pain. For how long she stood there long after her bath was done, even Alice couldn't tell. She felt numb and completely lifeless. So this is how it feels to have no more hope…but she refused to feel anything, or the pain and sorrow would overcome her, despair might drive her to take her own life, so instead Alice chose not to feel or think anything, but breathe and try to survive this horrible minute to the next.

But her stubborn will refused to give up. _Think Alice, think! There was no blood on your thighs, or on the bed sheets,_ her mind said.

"Yes, but not all virgins bleed on their first time." She said aloud to herself. Refusing to give herself false hope.

_Alice be reasonable! If a man has forced himself inside your body, you would have felt the pain even now. Well, are you feeling sore between your legs?_

"No." Her eyes flinched, even as she felt a little bud of hope slowly unfurl inside her. She touched herself, gently, tentatively, remembering the night Yuri had touched her there. He had slowly fitted his finger inside, gently probed her, and the next morning her flesh had felt a bit tender.

_See? Yuri had merely fitted his finger inside and your body registered his presence…if something that is bigger than a man's hand had violated you, won't you be hurting worse now?_

"Yes…" Alice said. "Yes!" Emotions suddenly burst inside her like a dam. She finally wept in relief, her body shaking from the force of feelings returning once again. Whatever it is that had happened to her last night, the man had failed to finish the vile act for some strange, unknown reason, but she refused to think further about it. The only thing that mattered was he did not succeed! Bruises and scratches will heal, her skin would eventually return to normal, but losing one's virginity is irrevocable, permanent and one that almost scarred her for life.

Once again she studied her body in the mirror, anger slowly replacing relief as she saw each tiny scratch, each bluish discoloration. Even Yuri, at his most passionate, never marked her body like this, he was always careful with her. Yes, he would leave kiss marks on her flesh, but not teeth marks! Alice knew it was not possible to know the swine that had done this to her, but…rage as nothing she had ever felt before filled her.

_Well, let this be a lesson to you girl._ She thought, _Never again would I set out all alone, no matter what the reason!_

Glancing at the clock, Alice hurriedly dressed, if she didn't hurry she might miss the train that would take her to Le Havre, and from there a ship back to England. She prayed fervently that no more mishaps will fall on her way. She will be very much careful now. She won't eat or drink anything that she had not personally prepared. One of these days, her easy trust on people will no doubt be her down fall.

Alice was shocked to see police and detectives all over the hotel as she stepped out of her room.

"What's going on?" She asked the hotel clerk. The poor man looked harassed and tired.

"Someone was murdered outside miss. The police are still investigating; no suspect could be named up to now. The identity of the victim remains unsolved"

When Alice stepped out of the Hotel, she quickly turned her head away, refused to even peek at the scene of the crime. Rouen has always been a troubled town, but to add another murder when her Father was dead barely a year ago…Alice shook her head sadly, this town would always remind her of the saddest things that happened to her, her father's death…and now, her near brush with rape. She had come here to find out if her suspicions were true, that the man Cardinal Albert Simon, she and her father was supposed to meet here is actually the same one who met them that night, only he called himself Roger Bacon. And she was right, Albert Simon himself confirmed it. But this trip wasn't worth all the trouble it had caused, she might have come here in Rouen to clarify her doubts, instead she had taken a path that almost led her to ruin.

_To be continued…_

(O)(o)(O)

Author's notes:

Aphrodisiacs, Puffy don't really believe such exists, well maybe there are some but their effects aren't that spectacular. Olga's special potion is just pure fiction, that and Alice's reaction as well. I had to put it here, because Puffy is worried some souls will take that part seriously. Hee hee. How? Errr…let's see, Aphrodisiacs I believe are stimulants, while sleeping pills are depressant, so naturally, if you will think too deeply about it, the two would contradict the effects of each other if taken at the same time. That's why Puffy said it's fiction!

For the record: The cross that Alice wore saved her and Yuri that first encounter on top of the train, even though she was unconscious. I think it was her father's cross, and through it, he still protects his daughter from beyond the grave. Awooooo!

This story took place when Alice revisited Rouen after that battle in Calios. She went there all alone, and for some strange reason Yuri didn't follow her. Anyway, I used this part of the game to meet my own ends. And yes, Olga is supposed to be dead by now, don't worry I'll kill her later.

"We. Exist."

Puffy.


	5. Betrayal of Love

Hey kids, didn't you notice? It's rater R. For vile language and adult themes. Er no. Not the usual lemon Puffy is fond of writing.

* * *

(O)(IV)(O) Betrayal of Love. (O)(IV)(O)

_At the Hotel room, London, England. A couple of days later._

Yuri paced the length of the room restlessly. Zhuzhen sat on a chair beside the window, watching the distressed man walk back and forth.

"If your feet carried the claws you wear in your hands, you would have dug a ditch deep enough to bury several men. Stop pacing boy! You're making me dizzy!" The old man complained.

Yuri rubbed his face with his hand impatiently. "Alice! God damn it all to hell! Why do you have to set off all alone like that?!"

Zhuzhen sat back, he knew that Yuri was still chaffing at the thought that Alice had deliberately slipped off without telling him so she could get away to Rouen, France alone.

"Well, she should be here any day now. Whatever her business in Rouen might be, surely it won't take too long." Deep inside, the old Sage was worried for her safety too, but to voice out his concern would only torture the poor Fusionist even more, so he kept quiet. _Well, the moment she's back, _Zhuzhen thought, _I'll give her a piece of my mind!_

"Where's Keith?" Yuri asked, trying to distract himself from worrying over her.

"Margarete wanted to know more about Wales before we set off, she said the less surprises for us, the better. Keith offered to accompany her."

Suddenly there was a knock on their door. Yuri rushed to it eagerly, hoping against hope, that it would be her beloved face that would greet him.

But the hair that met his eyes was brown instead of blond, her eyes green instead of violet.

"Charlotte." Yuri said coldly. "What the hell do you want?"

"My, my, such temper! Really now, must you swear in front of a lady?" Charlotte swept inside the room without invitation.

"When I see one, I'll mend my manners." Yuri said irritated. His words made her flinch, but she composed herself quickly.

"I have something very important to tell you." She said a bit stiffly. "Will you spare us a few minutes alone old man?"

Zhuzhen merely lifted his eyebrow. "Who are you to give me orders?"

"This is something very personal." Charlotte said.

"Whatever it is, just spit it out. We don't have the time to dilly dally with you." Yuri almost roared in irritation.

Charlotte almost slapped him in indignation but controlled herself, who knows how this monster might retaliate.

"I want you to know that I've been in Rouen, France these last couple of days."

That caught his attention at once. "And?" He almost demanded.

"Guess who I met there—none but my dear, old rival Alice!"

"Is she all right?" Yuri demanded, the fear for her safety made him vulnerable at that moment, he was almost ready to do anything Charlotte demanded just so he would know about Alice's condition.

"I don't know how to tell this delicately my dear." Charlotte almost purred. "Not when you won't allow the old man to give us a few minutes of privacy."

"Cut the act, Charlotte. Just tell me how she is!" Yuri lost his patience, he clutched the woman before him in both arms. He was very much tempted to shake the woman senseless, like a dog would with a rat.

Frightened by the emotions that fleeted in his face, Charlotte pried his punishing hands from her arms. With hands that shook from fright, she took a brown envelope from her reticule.

"You'll have to judge for yourself." She said enigmatically. But when he would have opened the envelope, she stopped him. "A word of warning though, the contents of that envelope must be for your eyes only…well, at least that's what you'd wish after you have seen it." With that Charlotte walked towards the door, leaving behind a trail of her heavy perfume. She paused at the threshold, turned at Yuri and smiled sweetly.

"By the way, I didn't think she ever told you about this. But, Christopher and Alice were lovers back in our school days. Chris would soon leave for America, but he had some unfinished business to attend to in France. Guess, Alice went there to meet him huh?"

Yuri flinched but said nothing. He didn't want to think about it. Christopher was her old flame? Why didn't she tell him about it? And why did she insist on going to Rouen all of a sudden, and went there all alone? Was it possible that Charlotte was telling the truth?

Zhuzhen didn't like the woman, he didn't like the situation even more. In a tense, suspense moment, he sat in his chair and waited for Yuri to check the envelope alone. He heard the low deep breath that Yuri took, and this alarmed the Sage even more. Yuri sounded so much in pain, something must have gone terribly wrong!

"Yuri?" He asked urgently. "Did something happen to Alice? Yuri? Hey boy wait—" But it was too late, Yuri marched off towards the open balcony, fused into a winged monster and flew off. Zhuzhen didn't know if the horrible sounds that came from him were just the voice of the monster he had fused with, or was it…the tortured sound of a man in deep pain?

_My God! _He thought. _Something must have happened to Alice! There could be no other reason for Yuri to fly off like that!_ Zhuzhen tried to collect his thoughts, deciding that the best course would be to set off for Rouen at once.

Not bothering to gather his things, the old Sage marched to the door, he almost collided with the girl who was about to open the door.

"Alice!" Zhuzhen cried, his knees sagging in relief. "Good God! I thought something bad happened to you!" The relief of seeing her well and unharmed made the old Sage shed tears. Worriedly, Alice helped the distraught old man back inside the room.

"Master, I'm all right. I know I was wrong to go all alone, but…"

"Don't ever do that again!" Zhuzhen almost shouted. "All of us here were worried sick! Yuri acted like a mindless zombie, all he did for days was stare down at the streets, waiting for the first sign of your arrival. He almost went out of his mind worrying over you!"

"Master I'm really sorry, I did not stop to think about my actions. I suddenly had a suspicion and I thought it would be best to see if I was right, and then, there's the matter of why I went there all alone. I wanted to face my father's death and let go, I've realized that I haven't stopped grieving for him all these months, so I went there to say my final farewells." Alice looked at him beseechingly, hoping the old man would understand what she was trying to say.

Zhuzhen sighed. "Well, I suppose as long as you've returned safe and unharmed, I'm wiling to overlook what you have done. But promise you would never go all alone again, you hear?"

"I promise." Alice smiled. "Um, where's everybody? Where is Yuri?"

"That boy suddenly set off to the sky like his heels were on fire! I don't know what's going on, but a woman named Charlotte came here and gave him something." Zhuzhen said.

"Charlotte was here?" Alice frowned. "What did she tell him?"

"Um, I wasn't really paying attention; I was worrying over you to listen to what that woman had to say. But then I noticed that she gave your man an envelope. It's a good thing she didn't stay too long, Yuri got a very short leash on his temper these last few days and he wasn't exactly on friendly terms with that woman. Didn't you meet her on your way up here?"

Alice shook her head. She must have missed Charlotte by mere seconds.

Zhuzhen noted the dark shadows in her eyes and said. "Why don't you go to your room and rest? I'll tell Yuri once he returns that you are back and safe."

Alice stood and nodded her thanks. She's really tired from the long journey. She picked her bag on the way out, wondering what Charlotte gave to Yuri; _Well it's natural to feel a twinge of jealousy I guess_. She thought as she entered her room.

Travel stained and bone weary, Alice almost dozed off on the tub. Groggily she pushed herself out and mechanically dressed for bed. Yawning, unable to keep her heavy eyelids open for very long, she sank to the bed and promptly fell asleep.

Zhuzhen made sure her rest went undisturbed.

(O(o)O)

Later that night…

In her tired state, Alice forgot to close the double doors that led to the balcony outside, the breeze brought in the subtle scent of the magnolia trees, gardenia and the fragrant jasmine, while crickets sang their songs to the night sky studded with stars. The pink satin curtains suddenly fluttered in the strong breeze, but it wasn't the natural current of air this time, but from the flaps of great wings. Yuri stood there for a moment as he transformed back. The moonlight at his back shadowed the features of his face.

Carelessly he brushed off the tatters of cloth which was all that is left of the clothes on his body. In his other hand he carried his trench coat and the brown envelope. Yuri shrugged the coat on, more from habit than anything else, the coat has always been the only thing to keep his decency after fusing into those monsters and his clothes were shred to rags. But Yuri lingered for some time still on the balcony. He watched the sleeping girl from a distance, and something inside of him quivered.

_If you are dying to know if my words are true, go ahead and check for yourself…Alice got a little birthmark at the side of her left hip, roughly about the shape of a spade._ Yuri glanced at the envelope as though it had spoken to him, but the words were just a voice in his mind.

_And in case you are wondering, her nipples are pink, a deeper red than her lips, small and pert, more perfect than any rosebuds of spring!_

The hand that clutched the envelope tightened its grip.

_Hey, didn't you know a woman has needs too? That's why she came to me…you weren't man enough to see through the layers of her innocent airs, can't you see she is burning for a man between her thighs?!_

Yuri clutched his head as if to still the tormenting voice. Those were the words written in the letter enclosed in the envelope, the letter that Christopher Wilbur wrote to him.

Yuri sucked in his breath as pain lanced through his body again. Was it true? Did Alice really meet him in Rouen, that's why she suddenly left all alone?

But the pictures, how can he deny the evidence? He wouldn't believe that letter for a thousand years, but the photos it enclosed? How? How can he continue to deny it? Alice…his sweet, innocent Alice…she betrayed him.

Yuri didn't realize his heart and soul could bleed this much without showing any wounds, nor did he expect that pain greater than he had known the moment his mother died existed. He didn't know that Hell had this extra dimension, nor did he expect that he would hurt like this, torn between hating her and loving her. But all of these were his the moment he opened the brown envelope.

Silently he approached her bed, felt his insides twist in pain as he watched her sleep, so innocent, so beautiful.

But beneath all that angel beauty lays a cold, heartless viper that betrayed him with another man. _Alice._ Yuri thought in anguish. _Why? Why did you do it? Why did you do this to me? To us?_

There was no answer to soothe the hollow pain in his heart. There couldn't be any other explanation for why she suddenly left him here to go to Rouen alone, but to meet this old flame of hers.

As if sensing his presence, Alice opened her eyes, at first the sight of the man in the dark frightened her. But when he stayed just where he was, Alice nervously switched on the bedside lamp. Warm colors splashed on his features that seemed etched from cold stone.

Her greeting died on her lips. Before she could breathe her relief at finding a familiar face rather than an assailant, Alice knew immediately that something was wrong, definitely wrong.

Yuri saw the marks on her skin revealed by the low neck of her nightgown, marks that he had never made. Even now she bore the marks of another man, tormenting him with those images captured in paper. A vile red haze of anger suddenly descended on him, obliterating all rational thoughts.

"God damn you!" He swore, he caught her by the arms and shook her furiously. "How? How could you do this to me you fucking-cheating-_slut_?!"

"Yuri!" She gasped frightened of him, she had never seen him this angry before. "What's wrong?"

"Don't give me that fucking innocent act, I already know." He said furiously.

"What? What do you know? Wh—Yuri you're hurting me!" she tried to free her arms from his painful grip but he won't let her.

Does this mean that he already knew about the attempted rape? How? But why was he so angry? Did he blame her for what happened? Hurt that he would think less of her now, Alice could only look at him with pained eyes.

"Well? Do you deny it?" Yuri demanded, shaking her roughly.

Alice shook her head, silently weeping. She thought Yuri would understand, she thought he would comfort her and assure her that he would make sure she was never hurt again, that he would love her despite the fact that another man has touched her. She felt betrayed, as deeply hurt as Yuri was, although both didn't know the whole truth.

"I didn't mean for it to happen." Alice pleaded. "Please Yuri, try to understand."

"No more!" Yuri cried, unable to hear anymore, he had hoped she would deny meeting Christopher, despite the evidence of the photos…it hurts even more to hear her admit that she had indeed committed the crime. "Don't give me all those excuses, you left here on your own without telling me!"

"I thought you loved me! Christ! What a fool I was. You never really loved me huh? All you wanted from me is the cock between my legs!"

Alice was too shocked at what he said to respond. Yuri is foul mouthed true, but he had never used those words against her.

She cried out in alarm when he gripped her dress by the shoulders and ripped her clothes from neck down to her waist.

For a moment he closed his eyes, dying a thousand deaths as he saw the little spade birth mark on her left hip. The birthmark that he had noticed only this night, but Christopher knew, had taunted him with that knowledge. When he opened them, Alice was shocked to see the bleakness of his eyes, it was if his soul had shriveled and died. Then he became a ruthless stranger.

He pushed her on the bed and fell on her like a crazed animal.

"No Yuri! Please not like this…Yuri!!!" She cried but her words fell on deaf ears. When once he had cherished her, now he simply plundered and ravaged. His mouth bruised hers, his hands rough and hurting. She closed her eyes as he ripped her undergarment, certain that he would soon take her…

"Well? Is he a better lover than I?" He said sucking her breast, sucked her harder to make her gasp in pain.

"Did he touch you here? Made you moan?" Roughly he brushed the flesh between her legs.

"Did he feel good inside you? Did you enjoy every fucking inch of him?" Yuri demanded. Roughly he tugged his coat open, his angry arousal freed from confinement sprang in readiness. He looked intimidating, huge and throbbing.

"Is his cock bigger than mine? Well you've been asking for this, I'll give you now what you've been begging for." Roughly he spread her thighs with his knees, intent on burying his pain and disillusionment and punish her for betraying him.

Alice could only stare at him, not even flinching when his hard arousal brushed her sex, her mind far, far away. _What happened? Where is the man who said he loves me? Just because another man touched me, does that make me a whore?_

Unbidden tears welled in her eyes. _Where is the man whose tender caresses have seared me to my soul? Where is the man who held me tenderly, protected me, kept me safe and warm? God Yuri! What has happened? Why do you hate me so? I didn't mean for it to happen! I never wanted it to happen! Please…please understand._

Yuri was intent on punishing her by roughly using her body. Cold, ruthless fucking was what he had in mind. But the sight of her tears stopped him. God knows she's a liar and a cheat, but he cannot bring himself to hurt her.

He released her and roughly pulled on his trench coat. Even now the sound of her crying was tearing him apart. Though he knew that she had betrayed him and lain with another man…_God Alice! Why? Why did you do this? To me? To us? I thought you were different, I thought you loved me…why?_ He was perilously close to his own tears now, and he hardened himself against her. He will not cry in front of her, he will not let her know the depths of his pain, the depths of his…love. No, he will never give her another weapon to wield against him.

Despite all the things he knew about her, Yuri discovered that he still loves her. And damned her for making him feel this way, damned himself for being such a fool. But there was no use denying the truth staring at his face.

The pain is tearing him apart, loving her, wanting to comfort her, to stop her tears, to take back all those words he had flung at her. _My God! _Yuri thought, even his own heart had betrayed him for loving her despite all!

Then he saw the envelope on the floor, and he knew he could not go back. He will not expose himself to this much pain, this suffering anymore.

_Alice, I love you, I still love you._ He cried to the silence of his soul. _I'll always love you until the day I die._

But he will never let her know this. He will hold all these feelings inside, she will never know just how much he still cares. _Mayhap one day I'll forget what you've done, then we could begin again…but not today…the pain is too much right now, I cannot stay near you and not remember that another man has kissed those lips, another man has known the intimate secrets of your body, another man has known what it's like to die and be reborn within you…_

He threw the envelope on the bed beside her, refusing to look at Alice, afraid that if he did, he would hold her close and beg her to love him as much as love her. Instead, Yuri walked out quietly to the open balcony, and then he was gone in a blink of an eye.

She didn't know how long she lay there, stunned at what happened to her, is this just a nightmare? Would she wake up from this? Does anyone really die from a broken heart? Then vaguely she remembered the envelope Yuri threw on the bed. Wiping her tears Alice, opened the flap, wondered what it contained. She shook the contents until all of it fell in the counter pane. For a moment she couldn't breathe past the knot of terror that gripped her throat. With disbelieving shaking hand Alice picked one photograph.

The picture was obscene, something that should never be seen by anyone…it was a picture of a man and a woman in the throes of passion, her lithe legs spread to welcome her lover, while he feasted on one of her breasts. And though it was just a photograph, one could almost imagine the hips of the man moving in the rhythm of possession and conquest.

But it wasn't the sensual lust the photo had captured that made her clasp her throat in revulsion. No, it wasn't that at all…what made Alice sick to the very depths of her soul was that the faces of the man and woman in the picture had her face and that of…Christopher.

(O(o)O)

A couple of days later at the same hotel…

"Did you find him?" Alice asked, hope flared in her eyes that Margarete felt a rush of sympathy for the other woman.

Margarete sat down, took out one of her cigarette and lit it. She didn't know what to say. She did find Yuri, but she doubted if Alice will want to know where.

"Margarete? Please, I know you're hiding something. I want to know. Where is he?"

"He is…" Margarete hesitated, once again wondering what happened between the two lovers while she was gone. "He is at a brothel. At a place they call Madam Cabot's."

"A brothel?" Alice breathed in shock.

"Umm, it seems he had become a regular patron in that place. But I could be wrong." Margarete shifted uncomfortably in her seat. _Damn sonny boy! What's wrong with you? Don't you have a lick of sense God gives to each of His children? How could you treat your girl like this?_

Alice sat down as if in a daze. She didn't want to imagine what Yuri is doing in a place like that. No doubt that the famous 'Pleasure House' caters to man's every whim.

After that dreadful night at her hotel room, Yuri simply vanished without a trace. Alice now knew that her assailant in Rouen was none other than Christopher. She had gone to his place the very next day to confront him, but the butler politely informed her that Christopher had gone on an indefinite hunting trip in France. So, she would have to wait until he gets back. As for Charlotte, there was no sign of the woman either. _They must be hiding from me._ Alice thought.

But she refused to think about those two right now. What she really wanted was to see Yuri and tell him the truth. He thought she had gone to Rouen for a lovers' tryst, but how could she deny the evidence presented by those pictures? It would have been better if he had taken her that night, Alice thought, for at least Yuri would have known she is untouched, well, at least the quintessential part of her is.

She didn't know what she should tell him, but perhaps knowing they'll have to make a move towards Wales would at least keep him in their group.

"I want to go to him." She said to Margarete.

The older woman choked on her cigarette. "Y-you can't mean th-that!"

After a while, Alice allowed Margarete to clear her lungs of the smoke. "That is no place for a lady." Margarete said. "Listen honey child, I'll ask Keith and Master Zhuzhen to get him—"

"No." Alice declared stubbornly.

"For Chrissake! That place is littered with loose women! It would make your face hotter than red coals to see the shows they hold there!"

"I must go to him, I want to see him." Alice said.

Margarete sighed, she knew Alice long enough to know that stubborn set in her chin. Whether she agrees or not, Alice would do what she sees fit.

"I really don't know what happened between you and sonny boy, honey child. But I hope you patch things up real soon. This Albert guy is up to something and if you two don't settle you differences, you might not have a chance to settle it in this lifetime."

Alice stood up, "I know. That's why I want to talk to him. There are some things I have to make him understand."

"You're not mad at him for dumping you like this?" Margarete asked. "Why if it were me, I'll shave his eyebrows and feed his balls to the piranhas!"

Alice smiled, but there was wealth of sadness in it that made Margarete offer another hug in comfort.

"He's hurting too, Margarete. More than you or I can ever imagine."

To be continued…

(O(o)O)

Author's notes:

Whew! When Puffy began this story, she was only looking for an excuse to write another lemon. Egad! She didn't think it would take this long though! My gosh! 4 chapters and still Puffy's hands are bound! Wahhh! I should have listened to that voice that said 'follow your heart'!

"We. Exist."

Puffy.


	6. To love a faithless woman

(O)(V)(O)To Love a Faithless Woman.(O)(V)(O)  
_Roger's Place, Wales, England._

At the cliff overlooking Cardigan Bay, nothing seems to move much, except for the blades of grass swaying in the wind, while up on the night sky, the moon bore witness to the lone man who sat at the edge of the cliff. Waves crashed against the rocks below, elemental and fierce, as if echoing the seething voices that torment the soul of the man who sat there.

Above the night sky, Neameeto hangs suspended. The float has set up a platform, in anticipation of the arrival of a god to destroy all that has life. Yuri gazed up at the sky, at Neameeto, wondering for the hundredth time where did he go wrong.

After Alice's betrayal, the only thing that kept him going was the thought that he won't let this Albert Simon destroy the world which his father gave his life to protect. But he had failed to stop the warlock, even now Neameeto floats there as if taunting him just how powerless he really is.

There was a rustle of cloth behind him, and Yuri knew he was not alone anymore.

"It's a fine evening isn't it?" Zhuzhen said as he slowly lowered himself down to sit beside Yuri.

The Fusionist merely grunted a reply. For a moment there was only silence between the two men.

"Did you come here to tear strips off my hide?" Yuri said, glancing at the old man.

Zhuzhen merely looked at him, he wasn't sure what was going on with Yuri and Alice, but whatever it is, it has affected both deeply. The battle with Albert Simon beneath the Nemeton Monastery didn't go as it should. The powerful warlock only initiated that battle so he could send more energy to make Neameeto rise in the air. When Zhuzhen realized Albert's plan, he tried to stop Yuri and the others from fighting. But Yuri deliberately ignored him. He was so intent on finishing Albert Simon.

Zhuzhen knew that the memory of that battle would live forever in his mind. Yuri fought as if there is no tomorrow, no more hope. He hung precariously on a very thin line between sanity and going berserk. The bleakness in his eyes were always there, too painful to see in a man such as Yuri. It was as if he wanted to die, to simply cease to exist.

He just continued on fighting Albert Simon who later fused with Amon.

The fight of the two monstrous beasts was incredible, unstoppable, and powerful that even the air was charged with energy emitting from the two.

Finally Amon went down, but Albert who emerged from the monster's form only smiled at them in triumph. It was already too late, the energy released from Yuri's battle with Amon charged up Neameeto and gave it the power to rise from the ground.

By the time they all rushed outside to see what would happen next, Neameeto floated in the air and sent out a big signal to the sky. Then with the words that god would come down from the skies and destroy earth, Albert Simon flew to Neameeto, intent perhaps on meeting this god he had summoned first hand.

"That is a mistake that can be rectified." Zhuzhen said, rubbing his chin. "It won't be easy but it can be accomplished."

Yuri kept quiet.

Finally, Zhuzhen couldn't stop himself anymore. He didn't come here to talk about Neameeto, but something far more important.

"Look, I don't know what happened between you and Alice, but this got to stop!" He said in an outburst.

"Stay out of this old man." Yuri warned.

"No, I have tried to be patient and wait until you two kids settle your differences. But we don't have the time for that right now."

"I'm fine with the way things are." Yuri shrugged.

"You don't fool me boy! Despite your attempts at poker face, I can still see you are tormenting yourself." Zhuzhen paused and looked at him with compassionate eyes.

"I can see you two are suffering and I can't stand it any longer! Look inside you boy, you are not your old self, it's as if your soul has died."

_It has. The day she betrayed me._ Yuri thought.

"Once you would never allow anyone to take your place in protecting Alice, but now you act as if you don't care. Why even at that filthy place where we found you, even though a man had made rude advances to Alice, you just sat there with your trollop and pretended not to see what was happening."

Yuri closed his eyes, angered at being reminded of that time when Alice came to Madam Cabot's to convince him to travel with them to Wales. She didn't plead for his forgiveness, nor did she ask anything for the state of their relationship, she only asked that he joins them to go to Wales. Well, with an armful of woman at his side and a bottle of whiskey in the other, he had ordered her to get out and leave him be, that he couldn't bear the sight of her.

Well, yes it was true. He couldn't bear seeing her, because the moment he had spied that silver hair among the crowd, he immediately knew she was there, and emotions he thought he had buried erupted, more powerful than ever, stronger than before.

He could still see her shocked face as she took in the painted woman at his side. For a moment he saw hurt fleet in her eyes but it was gone quickly for him to be sure.

On her way out, somebody suddenly pulled her on his lap and said. "If that boy doesn't want ye, me little flower, I sure do!" The cad was about to kiss her when she slapped his face. Alice jumped up and looked for Margarete for help, she found that the other woman got problems of her own; it seems the men thought that all women inside the house were trollops, including Alice and Margarete. The man she had slapped clutched his red cheek and gave her a toothy smile.

"I like 'em fiery!" He declared. He was about to lunge for her when all of a sudden his pants were burning. The man squeaked like a giant rat, running all over the place screaming for help. The people present only laughed at him until one finally took pity and doused him with a pail of water. Zhuzhen had come to aid Alice while Keith made short work of the men who accosted Margarete. After scolding the two women for going in such a place, they wanted to see Yuri and give him a trashing down for letting the women to fend for themselves. But the safety of the women came first and reluctantly, they left the bawdy house.

Then only did Yuri rise to walk over to the man who had dared to make a pass at Alice. He could not risk letting her see just how much he still cares. That despite the indifferent mask he wore, inside he seethed with rage. The man looked up at his visage and squeaked in fear, though Yuri didn't say one word, his face spoke volumes. Before the man could escape, Yuri caught him by the hand.

Methodically, ruthlessly, completely without emotions, Yuri broke the man's fingers one by one, as if he was snapping twigs. The sound of bone cracking filled the pin drop silence in the room, punctuated by the man's scream for help. The people could only stare in horror even as the unfortunate man begged Yuri for mercy.

"Touch her again." He hissed in the trembling man's ears. "And I'll make sure Hell becomes your permanent home." He released the mangled hand then looked at each man present, giving them the same warning. Everyone looked away in fear.

He left Madam Cabot's the same night, silently telling himself that he only wanted to protect the world his father died to save, that he didn't want to waste Ben's sacrifice by allowing Albert Simon's plan go unhindered, but he really didn't believe it. The thought that Alice might die fighting this warlock pushed him to go…not that he'd admit it to anyone, most especially to himself.

And so they all traveled to Wales together, they acted like total strangers, never talking, avoided each other, though many times he ached just to hold her hand, to caress that soft face and gaze into violet eyes deep enough to drown in, he never did. Time only seemed to ripen the distance between them, but at least he was near her, to make sure that she's fine. That he was acting the besotted fool, Yuri didn't even dare try to think about.

"It's as if you're looking for a place to die. Snap out of it, I don't know what went between you and Alice but this got to stop!" The old man's voice broke into his thoughts.

_A woman has needs too you know_. A voice inside taunted him, the words that Christopher wrote.

Memories seared him, making him hurt all over again…Those memories of their times together, when she had burned in his arms and he knew what it was like to be engulfed by fire, to feel that elemental force that all men must have felt before him, when loving and desiring a woman becomes one, single entity, all the more consuming, all the more powerful. Only she was able to uncage the animal within him, but still…he had turned her away, because he wanted their first time to be perfect.

_Perfect my ass! Didn't she know how much it has hurt me, costs me to stay away!_

But that is beyond the point. It all boils down to one thing; he had neglected her needs, and thereby forced her to seek another man.

_If she really loves me she would have waited!_

But then, that's the thing, she really didn't love him, does she? Because if she did, she wouldn't be unfaithful, only love can ensure one's fidelity.

"Look inside yourself boy and find the truth." Zhuzhen said. "Whatever wrong she did in the past, does it really matter? Can you not forgive and forget?"

He got no answers. All he knew was that he's a bleeding mass, tormented and desolate. He had bottled up his emotions to keep them from overwhelming him, he tried to bury all his pain and disillusionment beneath a blanket of numbness and living like this felt as if he was a mere husk, a mere lifeless shell of the man he used to be.

Should he go to her and try to rebuild what they have lost? _Yes_ his heart said. _No you idiot!_ Another part of him declared. But can he continue living like this? Pointless, completely without direction? Much as he hated to admit to himself, Alice had become a vital part of him, the essence of his existence, the force that brings life to his being. She is the invisible thread that holds his person in one form, without her he simply fell apart.

She might not be the pure angel of his dreams, but…he cannot live without her either.

Suddenly a feeling of incomprehensible dread filled him. Urgent, and demanding. Somehow he could sense that Alice is in danger.

Abruptly he got up."Where's Alice?" He demanded.

Zhuzhen raised himself and brushed the bits of grass and dust from his robe.

"She left earlier to go back to London, she said she'd check on Koudelka. Keith and Margarete went with her."

_London eh? Why? To meet your lover? Does she itch so much for a man that she cannot wait to finish this battle with Simon? _Yuri thought as jealous rage filled him again. He longed to find Christopher and shred him to bits, but he couldn't find the swine.

Suddenly all his instincts screamed for him to follow her. Not knowing the reason, whether jealousy or fear for her safety pushed him to go, Yuri closed his eyes to fuse into Amon.

Then without further ado, he flew off leaving Zhuzhen who grumbled about the poor manners of youth today. But he hoped that Yuri did what he really ought to, go to Alice.

(O(o)O)

_London._

Alice left the hotel alone. Margarete and Keith wanted to accompany her, but she insisted on going by herself. She wanted to see if Charlotte or Christopher is back, what she plans to tell them, Alice wasn't sure. But, if they think she'll be meek and forgiving, they are bound to be disappointed.

The blood of the ancient Celts runs true in her veins, and like those ancient women before her, Alice has unbound her hair like a witch on a quest. A healer cannot kill, but there are things worse than death.

The two storey apartment that serves as Charlotte's townhouse was located in distance away from the hustle and bustle of London's busy streets. The place was charming and serene. But for the young woman who stood before its door, rage as never before experienced seethed within.

She entered the house when no one answered the door. The interior was stylishly decorated in white, gold and royal blue. But she has no time to admire the delicate fripperies.

Alice opened the door at the end of the hallway, the sight that met her eyes froze her on the spot. The room was an unholy mess, blood splattered the walls, the curtains, furniture…and on the center of the floor lies a crumpled heap of bits of clothing, flesh and more blood. A lock of unstained brown hair at the side gave away the identity of the 'mass'. Judging from the state of the blood, the crime happened very recently. The culprit might be still hiding in the house.

Suddenly a voice spoke. "It's so thoughtful of you to drop by. Saves me time."

Alice turned at the familiar hoarse voice. "Olga!"

"So you remember me eh?"

"What are you doi— You killed Charlotte?" Alice gasped.

Olga shrugged her ancient shoulders. "That girl heard me talking with Master Simon, she knew the reason why I wanted to get revenge on you, so now she must go…besides I have no more use for her."

"You planned all this? You wanted Yuri to hate me?" Alice asked in disbelief. She had thought that poor Charlotte only wanted to cause mischief as she was wont to do in their school days, but being manipulated by Olga…Charlotte had never been bullied into submission. And now she's dead. As much as Alice was angry with her old school mate, she didn't wish for her to die.

"Yes. Seeing that man and you hurt each other brought a measure of satisfaction for me. But nothing will satisfy me more than your own death!"

Then, Olga transformed into a more hideous being that was hooded in black and had beak-like appendages jutting from her featureless face.

It would be a long and hard battle, for Olga was well versed with many types of magic, she may be old but her age only loaned her wisdom and knowledge.

With a silent prayer for protection, Alice prepared herself for battle.

She cringed inside as she realized that she was low on supplies. She didn't come here intent on fighting, nor did she expect to see Olga in Charlotte's apartment…but there's no turning back now.

Olga has changed her technique. She cast various elemental attacks that caused severe damage on her opponent. Alice knew that such a sorceress exist, empowered with all elemental affinities, but it was her first time to encounter one. And the old witch was even capable of exhausting the mind, thereby weakening Alice's spells.

Her mana supplies quickly depleted, Alice wasn't able to cast anymore magic. Left with no other option, Alice closed her Bible and used it as a weapon to bludgeon the witch. But the cunning old woman floated higher in the air, and Alice was only able to hit her legs, if the witch got legs beneath that black cloth.

On and on the fight ensues, but it was clear who got the upper hand. Olga laughed as she prolonged what has become a game for her. Alice was soon exhausted, has sustained too much injury from Olga's elemental magic attacks. With no healing supplies to revive her and too mentally exhausted to cast even cure, Alice knew her end is near. Just one more hit, and she's surely done for.

As if from a distance she heard Olga chant another magic attack. Deciding to face her death head on, Alice stood there bravely, and closed her eyes.

If she got any regrets dying this way, it was the thought of passing away without seeing his face again.

_Goodbye Yuri…may God be with you, for I no longer can…no matter what you think of me, this simple truth remains…I love you…_

Vaguely she heard Olga cast Rock Storm. Alice clutched her Bible closer to her body, squeezing her eyes tightly shut, praying that her death would be swift and less painful than the death Charlotte suffered, knowing that she has no way to block the huge shafts of stone that would soon penetrate her and end her life.

The earth trembled as huge splinters of rock emerged from the ground, then like homing missiles, the big pieces of stone hurled their way towards her.

Alice heard the sickening sound of skin and flesh tearing, waited in dread for the moment her body would scream in agony and pain. But the anticipated feeling never came. What? Is it over already? Is she dead? But she can still hear the lab dub of her heart beating…she can still feel herself draw air to breathe…

Confused to be still alive, Alice opened her eyes. The sight that met her almost made her faint. Amon stood before her, the Fusion Monster Yuri received after that battle with Albert Simonbeneath Nemeton Monastery. Amon was breathing raggedly, its wings enfolded her body without touching, like a cocoon. Alice could only gape as the situation sank in; the monster had shielded her with his own body. Even as she watched, Amon pulled out the shards of rock that sank in his flesh.

Blood rushed out of the gaping wounds, he was bleeding profusely, but Alice couldn't do anything to heal him. But he merely motioned for her to stay behind, and then rushed to tackle the old witch who was surprised to see him as much as Alice.

The old hag applied the same tactics to Amon, only she gravely miscalculated. Amon's Demon ray which shoots beams of non-elemental light, almost depleted her strength. Olga used her signature Mind Assault to exhausts the mental power of her opponent, and it certainly prevented him from using Demon rays again. But then, she never anticipated that though Amon was not able to perform special attacks, his claws were just as deadly accurate and lethal. No matter how much she tried to poison him, petrify him or paralyze the monster, he was simply too quick for such big feet. Olga only sustained more damage each time.

Soon the vile witch was exhausted, too exhausted to even escape. She had used all of her mental power to finish him off, but the monster was too great, she hadn't counted on that. A fatal mistake.

What the hell! Yuri was supposed to hate the Elliot girl, so now why is he protecting her? Angry, desolate and miserable that her life would end soon without even the satisfaction that she had set the lovers apart, Olga cursed in despair.

Then, unthinkably Amon transformed back to his human form. Olga lifted her tired head to see what the Fusionist was up to. But before she could even take note of Yuri's state of undress, he had rushed towards her to deliver the final blow.

"This is for hurting my girl…" Yuri hissed against the foul face of Olga, or what was left of the witch's face as Yuri smashed his claws deep in her head, instantly killing Arcane Olga for good.

Breathing hard, Yuri stared at the dead woman who slowly disintegrated on the floor, then he slowly collapsed. He had lost too much blood.

Alice rushed to his side. "Yuri!" She cried, cradling his bloodied head in her lap, her tears pelted his face even as she tried to stop them.

Yuri weakly lifted a hand to touch her face, he caressed her jaw lightly, saw that he had stained her soft skin and tried to pull away, but Alice held his hand, kept it pressed to her. He gave her the lopsided grin that has always made butterflies dance in her belly.

"Hey Baby…you okay?" He said, then he passed out.

(O(o)O)

When he finally came to, the first thing that greeted him was the white ceiling of the hotel room. Disoriented for a moment and wondering where he was, Yuri looked around the dimly lit room. Seeking her slight form.

He saw her blond head lying on top of her folded arms at his side. Alice slept sitting beside the bed, yet she had clasped his hand as if even in sleep she couldn't bear not to touch him.

Alice must have cared for him while he was unconscious.

Then, unbidden, he remembered all those times she had taken care of him, like in that smuggler boat from Dalian port, when he was so seasick he could barely hold his head…she had been so gentle, so caring.

Then that night she risked her life in Keith's castle to bring him back…and all the small things she had done for him—washed his clothes, prepared his meals, arranged his bed roll…Yuri smiled as he remembered how she always made sure he brushes his teeth before going to bed, she would come near him to sniff his breath that he was too embarrassed to forget brushing his teeth afterwards. Shewould cuthis fingernails and trim his hair, reminded him to change underwear daily and bathe, that most of all…why every time they got the chance, all the supplies she'd buy would be all for personal hygiene, a total waste of money for him, but he never had the heart to tease her attempts to civilize him.

But what he loves the most about her, was the way she looks up at him whenever they have the time to be together, soft and tender and undemanding…The way she'd kiss every hurt in his hands before healing him whenever he gets into battle, the way she'd cup her face in his palm and tell him she didn't mind the rough calluses against her skin, the way she would massage his tired muscles until he falls asleep…

Oh God! Yuri groaned. How could he have forgotten all those things? It was so easy to see the bad and forget the good. So damn easy!

Yuri ached to caress the beloved head, then the memory of how she stood there in that hellish apartment, waiting for her death made him shudder.

The slight movement was enough to wake her.

For a moment, he could only gaze at her beautiful amethyst eyes.

The bedside lamp gave her skin a rosy glow, tenderly he rubbed her lower lip with his thumb. He drank in her exquisite beauty, realizing just how much he had really missed her.

"Are you hungry?" Alice asked breaking into his thoughts. He longed to hold her exactly where she is, but…

Alice stood from the bed and walked to a small dining table near the balcony door. She picked up the bed tray and came back to him. "It's cold, do you want me to warm it up?"

_Yeah baby and while you're up to it, would you warm me up too?_

Aloud he said. "No. It's fine."

She sat beside him on the bed while he ate in silence. Both wanted to speak, to ask questions they were afraid to voice, but reluctant to break the peace between them that had been absent for too long, they kept quiet.

Yuri smiled as he saw the toothbrush and paste and a bar of soap on top of a neatly folded towel stacked on the bedside drawer. _Still insisting on hygiene eh?_

Not having the heart to tease her right now, Yuri finished his meal and meekly gave her her wish.

When he emerged from the bathroom, Yuri hesitated on the threshold of the door. He could sense the tension in the air. This was the first time in a long, long while that they had the oppurtunity to be alone.

Alice sat on the bed, nervously clutching her hands.

She knew the moment has come for them to face their problem, and she still doesn't know what to say.

_Go for it honey girl!_ Margarete's voice spoke to her. _Go to your man and kiss him senseless and before he could protest, measure the bulge in his pants with your palm. When he has grown beyond the reach of your fingers, unzip him and measure what you can with your mouth. But be careful, make sure your teeth won't hit him. _

_Are you sure he'll like that?_

_Yes! Didn't you know that it was Cleopatra's most powerful weapon of seduction? That caused the downfall of Mark Antony and Caesar?_

_But…_

_What's the matter honey? Do you find it disgusting?_

_No. Yuri could never disgust me…it's just…_

_It would be all right honey child. Trust me, he will warm up to you in no time, then he will finally realize that he got no reason to distrust you…_

"How are you feeling?" Alice asked in a soft voice, the things that Maragarete suggested made her face flush in embarrassment, she didn't know if she had enough courage to do those things.

Yuri scratched his head. "Oh as chipper as a graveyard butterfly I guess…"

Then there was silence.

Yuri didn't want to relive the moment he had seen her standing there waiting for the blow that would end her life. Christ! He was so close to losing her. But now that she is safe, he could finally face the terror that has been his that terrible moment, he wanted to face it and then bury it, so it would no longer have the power to torment him.

When he arrived in London, Yuri came just in time to see her walk away from the hotel. She was all alone, and the thought that she would be seeing her lover again, almost made him howl in rage, but forcing himself to be calm, Yuri decided to follow her, intent on catching her red handed.

Then perhaps, his heart would simply shrivel and die, and he won't hurt anymore. He had waited outside the townhouse, waited for her to walk out with Christopher, what his intentions were once he caught them together, even Yuri couldn't say. Nor does he have the strength to burst through that door and find her in the arms of another man.

His instincts urged him to go to her, but he fought against them, not wanting to see just how unfaithful she can be. Well, since their break up, he had relinquished all claims on her, so this isn't exactly being unfaithful to him, but...inexplicably, Yuri still felt that only he should have the right to call her his...

When he couldn't stand the urgent demand of his senses, Yuri kicked the door of the townhouse, braced himself at what he would find...saw her standing there, her clothes in tatters, waiting for the blow that would end her life. God! He almost came too late!

"You know… when I saw that old hag cast those rocks at you, intent on killing you…I was so afraid." He confessed brokenly. His eyes close in torment.

"I could have lost you…" He whispered hoarsely, "You could have been killed…" He couldn't bear the thought, he was aware of the sting of tears in his own eyes but ignored them.

"I said to myself there and then, that if you lived, I would make it up to you…if you'll give me another chance." Now that he had began, there was no stopping the words from flowing out.

He no longer cared that she sees just how much he still loves her, that he would gladly lay down his life just to keep her safe…he had thought he'd learned all about pain and bleakness in life, but nothing could prepare him at that blackest moment of his life when he thought she would die in front of him. And he knew in that moment that whatever she had done, her betrayal, her faithlessness, none of them mattered anymore…all he wanted was another chance to be with her, for as long as he would live.

He never wanted to feel that way again, as if every fiber of his being cried out in agony, begging God to give him another chance. The God he had turned his back on, ever since his mother died in front of him long time ago.

"I'm so sorry…so damned sorry…I would take each hurtful word I've said to you if I could, I never meant any of them…Alice…I…love you…I have never stopped loving you…" Then he opened his eyes, revealing the tears he shed.

Alice felt her heart lurch in her chest. Life has been hard on a man like Yuri, orphaned, left all alone to fend for himself in a world that knows only teeth and claws. He grew up tough, and hard…but to draw tears from a man such as him…

She didn't know that she had rushed to his side and enfolded him in her embrace. The hot sting of tears that wet the front of her nightgown startled Alice, she didn't know if they were hers or his, she couldn't see his face through the veil of her own tears. He bent to kiss her, softly, tentatively as if asking for permission.

"Does this mean you forgive me?" He asked.

That brought more tears in her eyes. "There's nothing to forgive."

When she drew her arms around his neck and pulled him close, something gave in within him. Hungrily, with all the pent up longings inside him bursting like a dam, Yuri kissed her. And she kissed him back just as passionately, not caring that he was bruising her lips nor that his tongue was almost rough in his eagerness to reclaim her again.

Breathlessly he pulled away, making her protest the sudden loss of his warmth. "No. Baby, I've come too close to seeing you die to trust my control tonight…"

She looked up at him not understanding what he meant.

With aching tenderness he traced her red lips, gently caressed her jaw, her soft cheeks.

"After this battle with Albert Simon, we'll talk. Then we'd get married. I'd never let you go again." His old possessiveness returning, Yuri clasped her close.

"Marry?" Alice asked breathlessly.

"Yes. Then you can rant at me and tear me up to strips for neglecting you and then we'd make up and talk about babies."

"I'd like that." Alice whispered, leaning her head against his bare chest, inhaling his warm sandalwood scent, rubbing her cheek against the thud of his heart. Yuri bent to drop a kiss on her head, inhaling the sweet scent that was uniquely hers. Letting the moment heal him, fill the cold emptiness of his soul. He no longer cared that she had betrayed him in the past, no longer cared that he was walking into the trap with his eyes open, shackling himself to a faithless woman would no doubt be the death of him. But if he could hold her like this for the rest of his life, he would be content.

(O(o)O)

_Roger's house, Wales, England._

Alice was not satisfied with the way things are between them, somehow she knew that she had broken him, reduced him to this man who was so afraid of losing her that he'd do anything to please her. She want the Yuri of old back, the foul mouthed, hot tempered man who had dared to steal kisses from her and touch her without consent. He has lost confidence in himself as far as she is concerned. _He doesn't believe that I love him_. Alice thought in frustration. She could still see, in his unguarded moments the torment that lurked in his eyes, but it was quickly hidden the moment he realizes that she was looking. He was such a master over his emotions that he could keep a straight face and convince everyone that he is fine, everyone but Alice. She knew that deep down he is still in anguish.

He was still afraid that she'd leave him. The thought of how much he is tormenting himself made her eyes smart, her heart went out to him. He would accept all the caring and cosseting from her as if it would be the last time, yet he never demanded more than what she would give. He was endlessly loving, tender and so sweet that her heart would weep each time.

He loves her enough to humble his pride like this, loves her despite believing she was a faithless woman who would dump him when she gets tired of him.

How can she make him see that she loves him too? That she loves him enough to sacrifice her very soul, despite all the religious teachings that had been instilled in her from birth?

_God Yuri!_ She thought in anguish. _What must I do to make you believe I'd never leave you for another man?_

But Alice knew that the time would come for her to leave him, only not in the way he thought.

The curse of the Four Masks.

She knew they were coming for her.

Tonight.

_I cannot go without him knowing how much I love him._ Alice thought defiantly. _Yuri, the man of my life…I cannot die knowing that you still don't believe in my love._ She'll show him, her chin a stubborn set as she made up her mind. She'll show him just how mistaken he was.

He wanted to wait for marriage, because he was afraid she'd dump him if he failed to meet her expectations, the stubborn fool! And yet he refused to talk about Christopher, claimed that his wounds are still too raw to face it.

She wanted to give him the time he asked for him to come to accept it, but she has little time left. The Masks would come for her, soon.

Once again her conscience preached about the sins of fornication, but Alice snuffed them out. God who has come to earth and took the form of a man surely would understand. That though the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak…and she could no longer bear to see the sadness beneath Yuri's smile, the pain in the depths of his eyes he tried to hide.

She would come to him tonight. Love him as she had always yearned to do, to surrender body and soul and show him that despite the things he had seen, the things he believed about her, her love is true and deep.

To be continued…


	7. Insatiable

Hey kids! Check the chapter title, get me drift? No? Heavy lemon ahead! You've just been warned!

* * *

(O)(VI)(O) Insatiable (O)(VI)(O)  
_Roger's House_

Alice knocked on his door again for the third time. When Yuri did not answer, she tried the door knob. The room was empty, but the lights were on.

Clutching the front of her shawl, Alice closed the door and went in search of him. He was not in the kitchen either, or the main lobby.

Getting a little impatient now, Alice went to the last place she hadn't looked for him. She found Yuri there, standing at the small balcony at the back of the house that faced the sea.

Only the moon illuminated both man and her way to him. He stood there facing the restless sea; his dark brown hair highlighted by moon rays, swayed in the breeze and she knew from experience that it would be soft against her palm, smooth between her fingers.

Yuri wore no shirt tonight, just the black pants that absorbed all light. His muscles at the back rippled as he crossed his arms against his chest. Barefooted and shirtless, he looked somewhere far into the sea, was he looking for answers there?

Then he sensed that he was no longer alone. Long before he turned to see her, he already knew it was Alice. But nothing could prepare him for the impact on the sight of her as she slowly walked towards him.

Alice looked like an otherworldly creature. Her skin looked pale in the moonlight, almost as colorless as the flimsy cloth that covered her to her tiny toes. The gossamer cloth swished gently with her every movement, softly rippling like gentle waves, parting and closing as her slim limbs walked closer and closer to him. The wind that blew molded the cloth to define the shape of her slender body, revealing the thrust of her breasts, the neat small waist and the gentle flare of her hips. Her unbound hair lifted to the breeze, shimmered as if having a life of its own, matching her skin and clothing. The only colors she wore were those of her eyes and lips. Her eyes were very bright like amethysts, radiating an inner glow that drew him irresistibly.

He was so entranced with her beauty that the words that came to his mouth weren't what he wanted to tell her.

"I've brushed my teeth, changed underwear and taken a bath like you told me."

Alice smiled, she didn't come here to check on that. "Yes, I can see that your hair's still wet."

She stood before him as Yuri leaned back against the railing. The angle hid the features of his face, giving him a mysterious look that is also very much virile. He looked so formidable, so strong that nothing could move him or touch him, but Alice knew just how much he could bleed without showing any wound…

She felt his muscles tense when she wrapped her arms around his waist, and rested her weary head on his chest. He caressed the length of her hair, then rubbed her arms. He said something beneath his breath when he felt how chilled she was, goose bumps covered her skin.

"You're cold. Why don't we go inside?"

"No." She resisted, enjoying his warmth, his sandalwood scent and she wanted to stay thus forever. "You'll warm me."

Sighing, Yuri enfolded her in his arms, thinking it would be easier if he got his coat right now. It seems a lifetime has passed since that day she took that bath in the creek, but it had always been one of his fondest memories.

He dropped a kiss on her hair, and felt her tremble.

"What's the matter?" He asked.

She shook her head.

"If you're scared of this final battle, don't worry. I'll protect you."

He felt her smile against his skin, and something trembled deep within him. He stroked her hair once more, taking too much pleasure in such a simple act.

"You know…the day that you die, I'll die too." He confessed against her head. The words obviously shocked her, Alice lifted huge eyes up at him.

Yuri smiled then brushed her lips with his fingertips. "Don't look at me like that…it's just that…I failed to keep my promise to my dad to protect my mother…I cannot bear for that to happen again…so…the day I fail to protect you…is the day I too will die."

That brought tears to her eyes, Yuri brushed them away gently, cupping her face as if he was holding the most delicate treasure in the world. "Don't cry baby… Don't you know how much I love you?"

She longed to cry to him of her own love, but he was not yet ready to accept those words, he'd think that they were just empty promises, just a whim of the moment. How can he love her this much thinking that she doesn't love him? If she were in his shoes, it would destroy her.

But she loves him. If he would not accept her words of love, then she would just have to show him.

Alice rose on her tiptoes to kiss him. He obliged her by lowering his head to return the kiss. Soft, gentle, and endlessly tender. He brushed her lips with his, making her tremble as electrifying sensations coursed through her body, he traced the soft outline of her lips with his tongue, teasing her by giving her less than what she wanted. She would try to capture him with her hands and hold him in place, but he would evade any deeper intimacy. The when she pouted her lips in exasperation, Yuri fitted her mouth against his, slowly filling her with his tongue, curiously seeking her secrets as if he had never kiss her thus in the past. She trembled in his arms as the pleasure of the kiss swept her off her feet. Kissing him is simply…magic.

The seducer is quickly becoming the seduced. Alice could only arch her flushed face as he sought the perfumed skin of her throat. But what can she do? She's not experienced with this game of love. All she knew was give and give and allow him all that he wishes of her.

…_Go to your man and kiss him senseless and before he could protest, measure the bulge in his pants with your palm. When he has grown beyond the reach of your fingers, unzip him and measure what you can with your mouth…_ Unbidden, Margarete's words came to her again.

She felt him groan against her lips, felt the startled tensing in his body when she brushed her hands against his skin. Shyly, hesitating for a moment, she hovered just below his navel, then, lightly she touched the hard bulge in his pants.

Her touch made him pull away in surprise. But the railing in his back prevented escape. Her hands followed him, touched him again.

"Alice…" He gasped, tried to stop her hands, but her touch felt so good, so right, that he could not summon the strength to stop her. "Alice…"

She stroked him again, gently measured his length, his thickness. Her hands trembled, unsure if she is doing it right.

…_measure what you can with your mouth…_

Slowly, she fumbled for the fly of his pants, unzipped him to seek his aroused flesh. The underwear he wore hindered her, made her squirm, whether in embarrassment or frustration, even Alice couldn't tell.

Before Yuri could stop her, she dipped her hand inside, making him swear in a language she didn't understand. Freed from the confine of clothing and underwear, his aroused flesh throbbed in her hands, so hot and hard and yet intriguingly smooth.

Yuri clasped her wrists as he labored for breath. "Stop…" He croaked. "You are driving me _mad_!"

"Please don't deny me." She pleaded. She trembled as she held him with both hands, he burned in her palms, throbbed with the elemental beat of his heart. And he was incredibly huge that in her untutored eyes, she could not imagine just how something this big could fit inside her. Yet he was beautiful in her eyes, magnificently built and very virile. How could she be afraid of this part of him? The part where he is most a man, the part of him that would make her his woman?

"Alice…baby…" Yuri shut his eyes as he fought for what he thought is right against the exquisite pleasure of her touch. He didn't trust himself with her, she had the ability to shred his control at the mere touch, the mere smile…He clenched his teeth, swearing again as she stroked him.

He was focusing so much on keeping control that he didn't realize that she had knelt before him, her soft breath against his flesh made his eyes fly open in shock.

"What the—" His whole body clenched in exquisite pleasure as Alice rubbed her cheek against him, nuzzling his aroused flesh, as if she was cuddling one of those puppies she adored so much.

"Did I hurt you?" She asked softly, rubbing the sensitive head against her lips.

"H-hurt?" He stammered, her touch stole his rational thoughts. He could no longer think, only feel.

"Although how I can possibly hurt something this hard is beyond me!" She smiled.

"Alice…stop, stop right no—" His words ended in another hoarse sound as she kissed him intimately. . The feel of her soft, warm mouth weakened him, would have caused him to sink to his knees if not for the railing behind his back. Then, Yuri could only lean against the support as he endured the exquisite torture. She was hot, soft and her tongue endlessly curious, tracing him, exploring his shape, his texture.

"_Alice!_" He pleaded, fought for self control and tried to pull away, but his body betrayed him, sought more for her intimate caresses. Her soft mouth sucked him gently, her tongue rubbing him, exploring the single eye, Yuri clenched his teeth as control nearly slipped, as it was, he ceded a single drop, letting her taste him.

"You're so smooth, so silky…especially here." She whispered, touching the blunt tip of his sex with her tongue. "…and yet how could something so smooth be this hard as well? Mmmm…you taste like tears, only more fascinating."

Yuri swore and tried to pull her head away without hurting her, he knew he should stop her before she drives him completely mad. But she resisted.

She held him with tender hands, caressed the twin spheres that tightened with each touch, each stroke, while her lips continued to cause havoc on his senses. She could only take so little of him in her mouth, but she made up for it by licking the entire length from broad base to the blunt tip.

She enjoyed feeling him in her mouth, hot and so smooth and yet incredibly hard. She traced a vein with the tip of her tongue, heard him cry out and it made her immensely happy. She had always wanted to do this, wanted to know his taste, his textures. She was afraid she was too innocent to please him.

She didn't know that Yuri never allowed anyone the same liberty. He never gave a woman complete control over his body like he did now with her. She didn't know that her touch was more enthralling, more consuming for its innocence.

Suddenly she was pulled away from the flesh she was enjoying so much, and before she could comprehend what had happened, Yuri bent his head to kiss her, tasting her, tasting himself. It was violently erotic for him. He pulled her closer to his body, clasped her hips tightly against him.

"Dammit woman!" He swore breathlessly, he had passed the point of no return, he cannot stop now, he must have her or die an agonizing death…

Almost roughly he gathered her in his arms, he must get her inside or he'll have her there standing, where all may pass and see them together and he would no longer care if they did. He kicked his pants away impatiently, _let Roger pick it up tomorrow_ he thought insolently.

Alice wrapped her arms around him, smiling as she traced the sensuous curve of his lips. He kicked the door to his room open, and shut it the same way. He has forgotten that his bed was a complete mess, a precious mess of all the supplies he was preparing for the battle with Albert. He smiled at her ruefully, the table was full of stuff too, Thera roots, as well as Mana and Pure roots cluttered the surface. With an impatient swipe of his arm, Yuri sent all the supplies tumbling to the ground and deposited a very shocked woman on top of the table. He intended to clear his bed the same way, but the lovers were reluctant to separate, even for a minute.

Intimately, he slid himself between her legs, pulling her close as he dropped a kiss on her nose. She thought of suggesting that they try her room, but Yuri spoke and she had forgotten what she was about to say.

"Baby…we've come this far, but it's not yet too late…" He said in a low voice. "If you come to me this night…then…preacher or no preacher…you will be _my wife_. I will never let you go…and no force or authority here on earth will keep you away from me…you will be mine, mine alone…and I never give up what belongs to me." He opened his eyes to let her see just how serious he was.

Alice only smiled and raised her arms to him, beckoning him closer.

He held her tight as if afraid she'd change her mind and he was, his arms trembled as he gathered her closer to his body. "You sure? You're giving yourself to me?"

"Yes…now shut up Yuri and love me." She demanded smiling as she wrapped her arms around him.

He was infinitely tender, slow and achingly sweet as he kissed her face, her eyes, her nose, lovingly tracing her eyebrows and cheekbones.

She felt inexplicably shy when he drew her night gown away, leaving her completely naked, but she didn't demand for him to switch the lights off. She didn't want to hide their love beneath the blanket of darkness as if it was something to be ashamed about. But she couldn't meet his eyes either as he took in his fill. The table beneath her felt cool and smooth, but nothing could prepare her for the fire that burned in his eyes.

"Baby, you are perfect." He breathed. He kissed the soft skin of her shoulder, nuzzled her arm, tickled her tummy. Lovingly he traced the curve of her spine, then squeezed her butt. The prefect symmetry of her derriere pleased him, pert and cute like the rest of her.

She laughed when he nuzzled her ear, found the ticklish spot at her neck. He kissed the tip of her nose lightly, then dropped his head to claim the hard buds of her breasts. He rubbed his cheek against her nipple, mimicking the way she did with his flesh. Then lightly flicked the tip of his tongue against the rosy tip, making her gasp, her fingers dug into his hair unconsciously demanding, Yuri smiled in secret then closed his lips around one pouting nipple. Gently sucking her deeper and deeper into his mouth. He released the hard bud only to claim the other one, sucking her, lightly nibbled the tiny pebble until it too glistened from his mouth.

Then he drew her legs apart, possessively gazing at the most intimate part of her. He never had to opportunity to see her like this, completely open and vulnerable to him. Her sex glistened with her own liquid desire, flushed and very beautiful.

He noted the set of petals, the outermost as fair as her skin but the inner a deeper red than her tongue, which guarded the tiny aperture. _The Gateway to Paradise_ he thought, then smiled at his own cheesy words. But it's true. How many days, nights, hours, minutes, seconds have he ached to breach the soft passageway to her heart?

Alice felt as if her cheeks were on fire as Yuri gazed down at her nakedness, she longed to cover herself from his eyes, which burned with unleashed desire. But she only closed hers and allowed him the intimacy, she shivered when he touched her lightly, his fingers infinitely gentle as he traced each fold, probed every crevice.

She couldn't help the sudden moist welcome her body gave him, kissing his fingers with wet heat. She opened her eyes to see him watching her.

"Yuri…" She protested shyly.

"I love watching you…" He said, touching her again, lightly rubbing the sensitive knot of flesh that begged for his attention.

It was enough to make her cry out, her body unconsciously arching against him wildly, seeking more.

"I love the way you call my name, and the way you hold on to me…" He punctuated each word with a kiss on her skin.

"I love the way your body kisses me, making me want for more…let me kiss you the same way."

She lifted her lips for his kiss, Yuri smiled and bit her lower lip lightly.

"I meant _this_." He said as he lowered himself to kneel before her.

Alice squirmed in discomfort to find his face between her legs. But when she would have pulled away, Yuri caught her thighs and pulled her closer to him.

"No…Yuri…Don't!" She gasped pulling on his head as he nuzzled her sex.

"No…you can't!" Alice cried out, but he didn't listen.

He kissed her with open mouth, laving her soft flesh with strokes of his tongue. Her taste fascinated him, salty, sweet but definitely addicting. Her scent, dear God, her fragrant scent made his blood boil hotter! His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of roses and the unique perfume that is hers alone. Yuri probed the soft folds, each hidden crevice, possessively branding her with his tongue. Then unable to get enough of her, he pressed against the tiny slit, eager to capture her inner, most intimate taste.

Alice didn't realize she was weeping, his touch made her feel so beautiful, so cherished. The sight of her tears alarmed him. With a start Yuri stood up and cupped her face with trembling hands.

"Baby? What is it? Did I hurt you? Was I too rough?" Yuri asked worriedly.

Alice shook her head, sending more tears flowing down her face. She looked at him through the veil of tears and reached for him. Yuri enfolded her gently in his arms, caressing her hair even as he folded her head against his chest.

"I know you don't believe in my love, but I love you…I really love you."

"Alice…" Yuri gasped. Closing his eyes.

He never expected the rush of joy that filled him at those words, he didn't know how much he had longed to hear those words again until the moment she had said them.

But doubts die hard. Yuri fought against the bitterness that taunted him with her infidelity. She had always been sweet to him from day one and yet look what she did in London…It doesn't matter he cried in silence. I love her and that is enough!

"Yuri…" Alice said, sensing his inner struggle. "I—" But before she could speak he took her lips in a fierce kiss.

Yuri couldn't bear to hear more, the words that could wound him as well as bring him to life at the same time. _Some day baby…when I can no longer remember your trip to Rouen, I'll demand to hear those words everyday, every hour, every minute. But not now…I can't afford to believe only to have my faith in you destroyed once again…_

He rubbed his aching sex against the soft folds of her feminine flesh, found the hard knot of her clit. He stroked her once, twice and then again, making her gasp in his mouth.

Without releasing her lips, Yuri began to rub the blunt head of his sex against her clit, making them both shudder as pleasure electrified their bodies, even as desire burned hotter and hotter. She sought to escape him, unable to bear anymore of the sweet torment, but he held her hips firmly, and stroked her again and again until she went limp with release, her nails sank deeper in his skin almost drawing blood, but Yuri ignored the pain, his whole attention focused on her, he absorbed the cries of ecstasy from her lips, even as he continued stroking her, the wild contractions of her flesh elated him, made him groan in triumph.

Finally he released her, his own breathing erratic and deep. He touched his forehead to hers and smiled at the dazed look in her eyes. He longed to feel the same rhythms of pleasure against his mouth, but the ache of desire unfulfilled was becoming more and more physical.

He tried not to think how many has trespassed the soft feminine core which he inexplicably felt only he got the right to be.

"Yuri…" She gasped softly as she saw his face, she must tell him.

"Hush baby…it's okay.." He tried to assure her.

It still hurts him. She can see it in his face, in his eyes, the thought that she had lain with another. But when she would have spoken, he stopped her.

"Yuri…I'm…"

He stopped her words with another kiss then held her thighs apart, draped the crook of her legs on his arms as if they weigh no more than the gossamer cloth he had discarded on the floor. The intimacy was almost unbearable. But Alice couldn't look away as she gazed down between their bodies. He looked intimidating, huge, poised against her vulnerable flesh, and yet he waited, silently asking her permission.

She held his face and kissed him, felt him tremble.

"Want me?" He asked in a low voice, the sound made her shiver as something very primeval within her responded long before she said. "Yes…please Yuri…"

"Show me baby…" He breathed against her ear, "Show me where you want me."

Heat suffused her face anew at his quiet command, shyly she reached between their bodies, reached for him, felt him throb strongly in her palm once more, unable to resist stroking him again from base to blunt tip. He was hot and smooth as she remembered and slick from her own need. She heard the low moan he made at her touch, felt him tremble against her body as he fought for control.

She guided him to the aperture of her heart, the core of her being. Her body greeted him with honeyed fire, silently telling him of her welcome, the aching emptiness that waited for him for what seemed like eternity.

"Here?" He teased, gently nudging her. She blushed even more and pinched his side, making him chuckle in a low sound.

Alice sucked in her breath when he rubbed himself against her, sliding the thick length against her soft folds, bathing himself in her own liquid heat. She was aware of his raw power, his virile strength, held on a tight leash as he forced himself to go slow.

He kissed her again, his heart overflowing with the love he could not contain, making him weep from the sheer force of it.

"I…love you…"He vowed against her lips. "Love..you…love…you. You are my life, my heart…_aishiteru_ Alice…baby _I love you!_"

"I love you too…" she answered. "More than you'll ever know…"

_You foolish, foolish man!_ She thought affectionately. _I hope you'll understand, I hope you'll finally believe me…_

She leaned her head against his chest, shyly looking down, watching as he slowly moved. She couldn't look away as the blunt head parted the soft folds of her sex, watched the way her body parted, unfurled before him, as if she was a rose bud and he was the sun, giving her life. He felt incredibly huge, bigger than she expected, and the thought that he might rip her in two fleeted in her mind again.

Yuri heard the nervous breath she took in, tried to assure her, but the feel of her body parting, opening for him stole his voice. She was welcoming, hot and soft, but impossibly small. He could die from sheer bliss of just sinking inside her, but as much as his body clamored for release, Yuri reigned in on his unruly hunger for her. He will not fail her now, he vowed quietly, he will not.

Tears sprang to her eyes as he tenderly came to her. Gentle and sweet as if he believed he was her first lover.

That he could love her this much…she opened her eyes to see him watching her. His were soft, loving as he carefully eased deeper, seeking the union that would bind her closer to him than any preacher's words could.

Nothing could prepare him for this, the exquisite pleasure of finally knowing her this way. _God_ he breathed, she's incredibly tight and soft and hot and all he had ever hoped for, all he had ever dreamed of, and more. She held but barely a half of him and if she pleased him any more he'll surely die. Yuri clenched his teeth as he fought for control, sheathing himself inside her was like squeezing through soft, honeyed vise….

And then he felt it. The feeling was so vague he could easily miss it, but so keenly attuned to her, Yuri felt it. Well he was actually only aware of it the moment it gave in. Something had resisted his presence, incapable and helpless to stop him, but nevertheless tried to hinder his way. The fragile barrier then surrendered; or rather he had torn it as he sank deeper. He heard the small gasp Alice gave, the sudden tensing in her body.

It made him stop, Yuri trembled as something so strong and commanding filled him, making his knees weak. He pulled back to look at her face, the woman he had vowed to love with all his soul, with all his heart. He saw the tears she tried to hide, the way she bit her lower lip to keep herself from making a single sound, down to her beautiful breasts, crested with pink buds, down to where they were joined albeit not completely, in the most intimate, possible physical way. Pale, soft hair mingled with the darkness of his own.

He withdrew slightly, only to find his own flesh stained with blood. _Bleeding…dear God…she is bleeding!_ Yuri clenched his teeth as something so powerful, so devastatingly strong rushed to take over him. A virgin! His Alice, his sweet, beautiful Alice, untouched…and incomprehensively as it is…_she is his alone_. Shakily he strove for control, but the realization was simply too much. He could no longer hold back, tried again to fight against it and lost.

With a deep, low growl he lifted her hips. Hunger, needs that he thought were beyond him were suddenly raging in his veins, so intensely powerful he could only bow to it. He thought he had died when he sank deeper inside her, urgently stretching her to hold all of him. She feels so good, so exquisitely delicious, he would never get enough of her, never. That was his last coherent thought, even as all control broke loose, and ecstasy he had never known existed racked his body, blinding him in its intensity.

Only later, much later did he realize what he had done. _You stupid dummy! This is not the way to be with a virgin! _He berated himself. _Oh yeah? Who was the one screaming? Begging her to please, please take all of him? It certainly wasn't Amon!_ Another voice taunted him. _But the pleasure was incredible! It is impossible to hold it in._ A voice protested. _Yeah stupid! It would have been perfect if you only had enough decency left to wait until she gets there first!_

Yuri trembled as he remembered the moment he knew bliss so great it could rob him of his very soul. Now he knew what it was like to die and be reborn within her.

He remembered the way she had held him protectively, as he shuddered and spilled himself inside her, somehow she knew he was at the most vulnerable at that moment, knew and protected him from getting overwhelmed by his own emotions. Nothing seemed real to him at that moment, only the soft, clinging heat of her body that accepted him without reserve.

"Are you all right?" He asked hoarsely. Slowly rational thoughts returned to him, and he was once more aware of their surroundings, the room, the table where he took her as if she was a woman who had known many men. Yuri shut his eyes as guilt and shame filled him anew. He should have pulled away the moment he realized she was untouched. But like a thirsty man on the brink of dying reaches for life giving water; he could not resist her, anymore than he could order his heart to stop beating

"I'm fine." He heard her say.

She caressed the back of his head as it lay against the crook of her neck. He was beginning to soften inside her, no longer stretching her to near to bursting, but she was aware of the tenderness in her flesh. But it didn't matter. She enjoyed having him within her, to feel this close to him, bound by more than the love in their hearts.

"I…ah…I'm sorry. Did I hurt you too much?" He asked against her skin.

"No." She lied. The truth was, he did hurt her. But she would never regret that moment when he lost all control and took her in raw passion and need. He had always been in control of himself, never once allowed it to slip from his grasp. In a strange way, she liked to feel his unbridled power, strong and completely wild and savage and yet…made her feel loved, needed and yes, cherished.

Oh this isn't how she envisioned their first time would be. Certainly not in a table, inside a room cluttered with supplies and reeked of all those medicinal plants either! She smiled at the silliness of it all.

…_now I can die content, knowing what it's like to be your woman, a pain between the legs certainly, but I loved every single moment of it when you and I are one… _Alice thought sadly.

_Please don't cry too much when I'm gone, I'll always be here at your side, to watch over you, even if you cannot see me…I love you…I'll always love you…_

His movement as he gently withdrew scattered her thoughts. He couldn't look away as he slowly withdrew from the sweet grip of her body.

She gasped as Yuri gently left her. She looked at him, saw his flesh glisten with blood, blood that proclaimed the loss of her virginity.

Blood dripped down from within her the moment he left her completely. Yuri could only stare and stare as the life giving fluid stain the smooth, polished wood beneath her.

"Alice…" Yuri groaned, "Baby…" The sight of her blood on his flesh moved him beyond words. "How—" He didn't know what to say, where to start, she was a virgin, allowed only him to breach her inner sanctum, but those pictures, that letter Christopher sent him, and the intimate, well not really intimate knowledge of her body, the other man knew about the birthmark on her left hip…how could all those things be possible and yet here she is, her woman's flesh breached, wet from his own seed and bleeding from the innocence he had taken in a moment of savage, mindless passion.

"Hush…" She said stopping him. "Does it really matter? You love me despite believing all those things. It is enough for me."

"Alice…" He cringed inside as he remembered all those words he had said in anger and disillusionment, how he had almost raped her! And afterwards he had stubbornly refused to listen, too afraid to hear the truth from her lips, that she had cared for Christopher, after all they had been childhood sweethearts, or so as Christopher had claimed. And the other man had so much to offer her, a life of ease, material wealth…but she had chosen him. She had turned her back on worldly possession and even on her beliefs, giving him the virginity that only her husband should take.

_It is too late for that now, you fool!_ The voice was back. He had taken her, half in the hope he'd get her pregnant, hoping to bind her to him with their child. But it was unnecessary. She already loves him. _It's not as if you could hold back any longer dummy! You always acted like a rutting dog around her, it's a miracle it took this long!_

"Wait here baby." He said as he withdrew from her arms. He picked up her night gown and dressed her like she was a little child incapable of doing it herself.

"Where are you going?" She asked as she watched him shrug his coat on, not bothering to wear anything else beneath.

"I'll just get something…be back soon." He said as he left the room.

Tentatively she hopped down the table, wincing as her body protested the sudden movement. _Oh the pain wasn't so bad,_ she told herself. Alice went to the bed, saw the mess he had made and decided to tidy up the place.

She found a bottle of whiskey at the side of the bed, and another of red wine. Trust Yuri to drink before going to bed! In this, Master Zhuzhen and he were alike. Deciding to imbibe of the wine herself, Alice pulled the cork and took a healthy swallow. Well at least it wasn't the cheap vinegar she had feared.

She worked efficiently and quickly, sorting the healing items from the accessories and other stuff. She had packed almost everything inside when her hand touched something unfamiliar inside the side pocket of his bag. Curiously she pulled it out. What she found almost stole her breath away.

It was a small box all girls had longed to have. Well, not the box but what it contained. An engagement ring. It didn't matter that the diamond wasn't big enough to make another girl swoon with envy, she was close to fainting herself. She didn't think the beloved dummy had it in him, he was always ill mannered and foul mouthed, how it must have embarrassed him to purchase this!

Too bad she had spoiled the special moment herself, Alice smiled and placed the box back into the bag. She felt some crumpled paper at the bottom and thought just how like Yuri it is to stuff his bag with trash! Shaking her head, she decided to clear the bag from useless things.

The crumpled paper were the only useless things in the bag fortunately, and with a sigh of accomplishment, Alice was about to throw them in the container where she has gathered all the unwanted stuff. The words written all over the crumpled mass caught her attention.

Guilty, but unable to help herself, she unraveled the paper and tried to read what Yuri had written. The English was so poor, the grammar and spellings enough to make a teacher cry, but the words were clear to her. The date was set in the future, after the battle with Albert perhaps? It was a clumsy proposal. The most unintelligible, coarse proposal no doubt, but it was enough to speed up her heart. Yuri had been practicing to propose to her!

Her hands trembling, Alice tried to re-crumple the paper as it was before, she gathered the others, knowing they were all the same, his frustrated attempts to propose to her in the right way, her heart ached to think she might not lived long enough for him to do that. Alice stuffed the mass back at the bottom of the side pocket. And waited for him to return.

Her heart ached for all that she would lose, the days spent with him, touching him, having a family with him…but she can never regret the decision she had made. To save him from the darkness, she had agreed to sacrifice her own.

The sound of the door opening broke her thoughts. Yuri brought a basin with warm water and some fresh linen. Alice looked at him wondering what he was up to.

"Oh, I see you tidied up the place…" He murmured as he knelt before her on the bed. "Here baby, hold these for me." He said handing her the linen cloth then he slowly settled the large basin on the floor.

He dipped a piece of cloth in the water, slowly lifted the hem of her nightgown and gently parted her thighs. The blush on her face enchanted him, and almost teasingly he said.

"Still shy with me baby? After all the things we've done? I did more than look at you this time."

She merely closed her eyes and refused to answer, but the deepening of her blush told its story. Gently he wiped the traces of blood from her thighs, her flesh, very careful not to hurt her. But the almost impersonal touch made her shiver, made her tremble.

"Sore?" He asked guiltily, berating himself again for losing control like that.

But she only shook her head.

Her flesh was very red, swollen from his abuse. How could he hurt her like this? With a trembling hand, Yuri dropped the soiled linen cloth. He kissed her soft flesh in silent apology. And yet he couldn't help feel elated at the knowledge that she is his alone, that no other man knew her as intimately as he does.

The knowledge was violently arousing to him.

He didn't mean to take her again that night, he only wanted to please her without claiming the soft feminine core. But she got other ideas. And before he could even comprehend the whole situation, Yuri found himself sheathed to the hilt once more. Shocked that he could easily lose control like this, Yuri tried to be gentle, but the way she ran her fingernails over the muscles of his butt, drawing designs on his flesh, stole whatever bit of control he had.

"It is strange isn't it?" She asked afterwards as they lay together, their limbs entwined, he took the place near the edge of the bed and cocooned her soft body with his.

"What is?" He asked, nibbling her ear.

"This." She said as she touched the hand he had placed possessively where they were joined only a few moments ago, and they would soon be again if he didn't stop teasing her.

"Nah, this is not strange baby….this is _mine_." Yuri said, splaying his fingers wide, cupping the flesh between her legs.

"That's what I meant." She said, shivering when he bent to kiss her throat.

"Hmmm?"

"This…this is… a part of me…" Alice shivered again as Yuri found the sensitive spot at the crook of her neck. Helplessly she tried to focus on what she was trying to say, only his touch distracted her.

Yuri chuckled against her shoulder, sending more shivers down her spine.

"Uh-hmm, a very delicious part of you…" He agreed.

"I…I…" She tried to continue, but the feel of his fingers gently parting her nether lips stole her voice. He stroked her lightly, lubricated from his own seed that seeped out of her body. He found the tiny knot, where all sensations gathered.

"Yes?" Yuri prompted, slowly fitting his finger inside. Her soft cry pleased him, even as her body parted to welcome him inside. She was so tight around his finger, and yet so soft.

Alice gave up trying to talk, she meant to tell him that though the flesh he is exploring right now is a part of her body, he knew it more intimately than she does, for she herself don't know its textures, its depths, the secrets it hold. But he does.

Yuri kissed her, gently, tenderly almost without passion, but his eyes burned with promise. Carefully he probed her soft depths, fascinated with her velvet textures, her moist warmth. His finger found an intriguing texture and curiously he lightly pressed against it.

Alice gasped and asked him to do it again. "Harder…" She moaned. "Yes…yes like that—" Suddenly she arched against his hand, her whole body shivering as another orgasm hit her. "Yuri…" She cried. "_Yuri!_"

The force of her release made him groan, relishing the incredible contractions of her sheath around his finger. What just happened? He only pressed against that fascinating texture, and she climaxed against his hand!

The new discovery made Yuri smile in anticipation, if he could touch her there while their bodies are locked intimately, he will be able to feel those incredible contractions squeezing his sex. But how could he do it? It's not as if he got bones in his err…peeing rod to maneuver it while inside her.

For a moment he pondered there, caressing her hair as Alice snuggled against his chest, embarrassed for crying out like that before. She's quite sure that the others must have heard her and knew that…Alice couldn't complete the thought.

"Yuri?" Alice whispered shyly against his skin. She is becoming as insatiable as he is! She could feel his aroused flesh throbbing against her thigh, knew that he wanted her too.

She smiled when he moved, gently rolled her to her stomach to trace her spine with his lips. He caressed the soft skin of her butt, gently squeezed them.

He covered her prone body with his own, kissing her nape, her shoulders even as he rubbed his aching flesh between her legs.

"Want me baby?" He asked against her ear, lightly tracing the outer curve with his tongue.

Her body answered before she spoke the word yes. Hot, silky and generous, her desire bathed him in liquid fire. But when she would have rolled to her back, he stopped her, kept her imprisoned thus.

"Yuri?" She asked in confusion. She tried to look behind her to see what he was up to, but the feel of his hard flesh slowly penetrating her from behind made her shudder. "Yuri!" She moaned as he slowly filled her, so achingly slow, infinitely sweet.

He sought the same spot he had touched earlier. The blunt tip of his sex more sensitive than his finger, Yuri quickly found what he sought and carefully pressed against her.

Alice had to bite the edge of the pillow to keep herself from screaming as Yuri found her most sensitive spot and slowly but firmly pressed against it. Then he waited, just waited inside her, wanting to feel her pleasure squeezing him as she did earlier with his finger.

He heard the cries she buried against the pillow, the harsh breaths she took, the mad race of her heart. His own body clamored for him to thrust deeper, for she only clasped a half of him right now, but he longed to feel her ecstasy, to feel her body writhe in pleasure, that he forced himself to wait and carefully pressed harder against the sensitive spot.

The sudden tension in her body heralded her release, Alice muffled her cries against the pillow as her whole body convulsed in pleasure.

_It's too much_, her mind cried _too much!_ She could feel the shocks of rapture to the tips of her fingers, to the tips of her toes, if pleasure could kill, then she's definitely dead by now!

The force of her release made her whole body limp afterwards, satiated to the core of her being, Alice tried to look behind her to look at him and tell him how much he pleased her, but she felt completely boneless, her whole body languid.

"Stop!" She croaked when Yuri began to slide deeper, stoking the fires of need once more. "Yuri stop! I can't take anymore!" Alice cried as he sank to the hilt.

"Yes you can baby." Yuri whispered against her nape, his breath hot against her cheek. He stretched her deeper, filling her near to bursting. He slipped his hand beneath their bodies, seeking the hard bud of her desire. He stroked her clit as he began to move, slowly, teasingly at first, gradually becoming stronger, deeper.

"You're killing me!" Alice hissed against the bed.

"No baby, I'm killing _me_!" Yuri countered as he began to thrust harder, deeper inside, urgent and fierce, he parted her legs wider with his knees, opening her body even more to him, filling her even deeper this time. He clasped her waist with his arm to keep her from escaping.

Alice thought she'd go crazy as he continued the exquisite torture, to feel him moving inside, rubbing against her very womb, while he stroked her clit was the exact formula for death! Death from sheer bliss no doubt.

But all she could do was bow to his demands, yielding to him her body, her soul, her heart. She was not aware of the tears that wet the pillow as she found pleasure once more, white-hot, consuming and deep enough to drown in.

Beside her head, Yuri buried his own face against the pillow, muffling his own cries as he endured the throes of ecstasy that imbued every fiber of his being, his senses, he could not breathe without pleasure choking him, and helplessly he shuddered, spewing his seed in a hot rush of fire.

They finally slept, though the bed bore witness to the countless more times of their devotion.

Something woke him up in the middle of the night. Yuri shook his head and wondered what pulled him from his peaceful slumber. Alice slept in the crook of his arm, her cheek resting on his chest. Completely satiated for now, Yuri couldn't think of any reason why he suddenly felt uneasy, this tension in his body that got nothing to do with sexual need. He knew something was not right, sensed that something very, very diabolical would happen. He was afraid that if he didn't watch over her, she would slip from his grasp…something is not right with his mind, it was as if it was mourning, calling out to him.

A cold sense of dread filled him again, warning him that she is in danger. Yet she is here sleeping in his arms, the night looked peaceful enough, and if any monster dare try to attack them, he was confident that he could handle them, provided his knees are no longer weak!

Then unbidden, Yuri remembered the Four Masks, how they have taunted him that they would steal Alice's life, that she would die even if she is in his very arms.

How could he have forgotten about that!

Rather frantically he tried to go to the foul place, forced himself to relax, for his panic wasn't helping him a bit. Yuri closed his eyes, and tried again.

_Alice baby…wait for me…I'm coming…I won't let them hurt you._

When he couldn't see her in the Graveyard, Yuri's knew fear as never before. _She's inside!_ He thought, running frantically to that place where he had to fight off Malice time and time again.

But the Four Masks that hovered over the entrance barred his way.

"Damn you! Get outta my way!" He cursed the four masks. But they won't let him. "If this delay cost my woman her life, hell would have nothing new to teach you worthless scum!"

The masks fought him valiantly, though the words from the Oath Grail Joshua gave them rang in his mind, Yuri didn't have the time to sort out which mask is the grail or the sword, he simply clawed away at the four evil beings until they dropped down in the ground.

He kicked the great door open, rushed inside, praying fervently he was not too late. The sight of her slim form from a distance almost made him weak with relief. But this is not the time to celebrate. Interrupting Atman's chant for Eradication, Yuri sneered at the Giant Mask who stuttered in shock finding him there.

Alice turned to him in surprise, but before she could speak, he stopped her.

"No! Don't say anything! I said no force or authority here on earth would keep you away from me, I meant those words. I'm not letting you go Baby."

Yuri turned to Atman. "You Devil incarnate! If you dare touch a hair on my woman's head, I'll punch holes through you, you'd look like a sieve!"

Atman fumed with indignity, spewing curses at the man who dared to insult him, but Yuri only laughed at his face.

"Yuri…be careful." Alice said, sending a silent prayer for protection.

Yuri turned to her and gave her the lopsided grin. "Hey Baby, stay behind me okay? I promise you, this won't take too long."

(O(o)O)

Author's notes:

Whew! I got hooked into drawing these past few days that kept me from writing. What was I drawing? Yuri Alice of course, what else?

Oh, if you want to see them, check the link on my profile. No smart remarks or I'll eat your livers! I drew one that inspired this chap. Not the other way around!

The legendary G-spot. No, don't follow Puffy's method,she cannot guarantee success!Hee hee! If you don't know what a G-spot is, I guess you should consult a sex guide Har har!

Yeah, I'm obsessed with the part that Yuri saved Alice from Atman. Even if Covenant followed the bad ending of SH1, the 'good ending' of covenant would bring you back to the beginning of SH1 making the prequel the sequel to the sequel…errr does that make sense? Anyway, I firmly believe that Yuri wanted to save Alice and that it is possible to save her as shown with the 'good ending' of the first SH. If it weren't so, then we won't be having that alternate ending now, would we?

Oh treachery from within should be renamed as loyalty from within. Somehow I think that even if Alice were to betray (as impossible as it may sound) Yuri, he would still love her. She had been gone from his life for almost a year in covenant, yet his memories of her were strong. He was already forgetting Karin as shown in that part where she and Yuri went to 'resurrect' Amon, he asked her if her name is Karin or something like that, when she had accompanied her all the time since Domremy. Now compare that to the cut scene where Yuri recognized Alice just from merely hearing her voice when she called him from the other door. Either the developers forgot that Yuri is supposed to be forgetting his memories, or Yuri simply loved her too much to let any curse erase her.

Don't agree? Go ahead sue me!

"We. Exist."  
puffy.


	8. Epilogue

(O)(E)(O) Epilogue (O)(E)(O)

Parting with dear friends was always hard, but parting with a lover never felt this painful before. Margarete sighed as she packed her belongings. The battle with Albert Simon and that Meta god he had summoned concluded, it was time to say goodbye to everyone. Her new assignment waited for her in her apartment in Paris. Master Zhuzhen left early this morning aboard a ship that would take him back to China, they'd all miss him so much, but it doesn't mean they won't be able to visit him in Shanghai, where Quihua and her father waited for his return.

Alice and Yuri got married with Master Zhuzhen performing the ceremony himself, but they planned to marry again, in church this time as soon as they could meet her mother in Zurich. Halley and the other orphans together with Koudelka boarded a ship for America, hoping to find his father.

As for Keith…he had declared that all the excitement would last him several lifetimes and wishes to rest.

She had grown fond of the vampire, a great liability for her! Margarete thought. But she couldn't help it. She never expected to feel this way, she thought that she'd been there, done it all but now…the thought of parting ways with him made her lonely already, and it both shocked and scared her, for she has never felt the need for another person before…she had always been independent, self reliant…

The object of her thoughts suddenly manifested. Keith was a quiet man, er vampire, who rarely speaks unless spoken to. But this morning as he looked at Margarete, something in his blue eyes made her pulse quicken.

He glanced at all her baggage and something fleeted in his eyes so briefly she thought she had only imagined it.

Keith took one of her hand, kissed her in the gallant manner he always bestows on her person.

"When you are tired of flying my golden dove, you know where your home is…" He said, he looked at her with his intense blue eyes and for a moment she couldn't breathe at what she saw in their depths.

"Keith…"

"The doors of Blue Castle will always be open for you…but don't take too long in coming home my love or I will be forced to stalk you."

Suddenly she was crying in his arms, helplessly giving in. How she had longed to belong to someone, to call him her own.

"Just one more assignment." The alluring spy said. "I owe it to the man who saved me from the gutter, and then I would be free, free to be with you."

(O(o)O)

_On a train bound for Zurich._

"Yuri what are you reading?" Alice asked as she settled against his shoulder. She sighed as they were almost home, this is the last leg of their journey. Traveling here from Wales would have been longer if not for the railway system. That carriage ride from Prague to Rouen took them more than a month! But she enjoyed their long trips together, it had become sort of a honey moon for her. Now they didn't have to rush, to worry about some warlock intent on destroying everything.

"Um something that old goat left me." Yuri said as he held her closer to him.

"I see. May I take a look?" Alice said.

"Uh, you might not like it. It's written in Chinese." Yuri said, reluctantly handing her the book.

Of course she couldn't understand the Chinese characters, but the illustrations left little room for doubts. She slammed the book down in embarrassment.

"Yuri what on earth is that?" She gasped, a little horrified seeing the various sex positions.

"Taoist Guide to Good Sex." He translated slowly, grinning at her devilishly.

"Throw it away! My mother will kill you if she found that book."

"Oh c'mon baby, what harm would this book do? Bet it would make you cast sexy spells huh? Why don't you try?" He teased.

She only pinched his arm, "Yuri Hyuga! Don't you dare speak of such things in front of mother!"

He chuckled and kissed her indignant cheek. Unable to remain angry with him for long, Alice settled more comfortably against the crook of his neck, feeling intensely happy and content just to be with him.

Outside the window, the train slowly passed through farmlands, meadows, rivers and now the snow capped mountains.

"Hey Baby?" Yuri said, caressing her arm.

"Hmm?" She said sleepily.

"If I were to fuse with a monster with penises on his hand instead of fingers, would you make love with me?"

Her eyes flew open in shock. "Certainly not! You Jackanapes!" After all this time, he never fails to amaze her with the things he'd suddenly say.

Yuri laughed and kissed the tip of her nose. "Hush baby, I won't share you…you know that. Especially with a monster, even if it is Seraphic Radiance himself!"

The possessive glint in his eyes made her smile. Then it reminded her of Christopher; until now she wasn't sure what happened to him. But she got a bad feeling that Christopher met an untimely end just like Charlotte did.

After that night in Roger's house, Yuri returned to his former self. Confident in her love for him, he was happier, more content than he had ever been in his entire life. She should punish the dummy for ever doubting her love, but Alice couldn't bring herself to inflict even a momentary punishment on his person.

She was already three months pregnant, their baby conceived that very night they first made love, it would have been a miracle if she hadn't, not with the way they fell on each other that night! Alice smiled. Yuri bragged to everyone as if he managed a great feat by getting her with child. _Silly man!_ She thought affectionately.

Then her eyes closed and finally succumbed to sleep. Yuri gathered her closer and surrendered himself to slumber.

Then he had a horrible nightmare in which he dreamt that she died while asleep. Startled he opened his eyes, even as fear and desolation washed over him.

His sudden movement roused Alice, and rather sleepily she looked at him in question. With a trembling hand, Yuri caressed her face, sending a silent prayer of thanks that she is alive, well and safe here with him. He didn't know what he would do if she never woke up again, if he'll have the strength to move on…she is his life.

Alice settled her head back against him, smiled as she felt the gentle hand that caressed the tiny life inside her. She hopes they'd have a boy, though Yuri wishes for a girl. She'd like to have to have a small replica of him, and see how he is as a little boy.

Life won't always be this happy or easy she knows. Albert Simon's words warned them of hard times ahead. But as long as Yuri is with her, Alice have no doubt that they could overcome any trials of life together. They have come so far, suffered a lot together.

_As the warlock said, even if the harshest of winter brings the harshest hardships…I intend to live my life, with my new family_.

(O)END(O)

Author's notes:

Yes, I started to replay the first Shadow Hearts game again. Strange, but I feel I still like the first one, despite its outdated graphics, and funny voice actors. I mean, I find that Alice is more beautiful in Covenant, and I find Yuri more appealing. But SH1 got a deeper story, more endearing characters...oh, I definitely like Kurando, Ana and Joachim, but their purpose on why they travelled with Yuri isn't clear...err maybe I should play covenant again huh? I only played it once and then only watched the theater afterwards! perhaps I'm missing something out. But I am terribly attached to Alice, and playing a game without her, felt not as enjoyable.

Oh, I tried to write down the last sentence Alice spoke in the 'good ending', but since I still haven't finished the game again, I could only write from what I remember. When she said _my new family_, the first thing that came to mind is that she's preggy. Hee hee! yeah go ahead whack puffy in the head!

Oh as a final note, I'd like to thank all who took the time to review. Puffy hopes she'll be a better writer one day, just like herfavorite authors!In the mean time, suffer the antics of Puffy!

"We.Exist."  
puffy


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